•Jerome Boateng made the trip to Glasgow but will not play–he twisted his knee in training on Tuesday and is aiming to be ready for Sunday’s match versus Schalke. Look for David Rozehnal to start in his place. Kai-Fabian Schulz has been recalled from HSV II to provide depth on the bench.

•Bruno is adamant about staying with his 4-4-2 formation, and is considering starting speedster Jonathon Pitroipa (a Hamburg Offside fave) up front with Berg. I think he stays with Tunay Torun.

•If this blog is a primary source of your HSV news, you probably didn’t see this, but Romeo Castelen injured his left knee, AGAIN. This is the same knee that has been surgically repaired twice in the last 16 months, and now Romeo is worried that his career may be over. He is waiting for the pain and swelling to subside before deciding whether to have the knee operated on again. My hope is that he will be able to play following rest and strengthening, but it does not look good at this point. Too bad, too, Castelen is fast and talented when he is on the pitch, but sadly that hasn’t been the case for nearly a year and a half.

•Bild opines that the only person who can save HSV now is . . . (wait for it) . . . VDV! And really, they make some good points. Rafa is a skilled enough finisher to play up front with, or just behind, Berg; he is already familiar with the team and the Bundesliga; he needs to play regularly to maintain his position on the Dutch national team heading into WC2010; and most importantly,  Real have not yet finished paying his transfer fee. The drawback–Berndt Hoffman says the treasury is empty and that we can’t take on his wages. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’d love to have him back. BUT, Mladen Petric *should* be back by January, and Paolo Guerrero *should* be back in February, and really there is a chemistry now with HSV that I don’t want to mess with. I have this uneasy feeling that bringing back Van der Vaart would somehow spoil what looks to be a team of destiny (right now). Who knows? Maybe the wheels will fall off the cart by December and we’ll be counting the days until his triumphant return. . .

•Not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, but the other name kicked around (pretty often, too) for a possible winter transfer is Martin Petrov of Manchester City.

•Bild (I know, I know) has a  lineup posted that might just be crazy enough to work. Something like this if you can’t see the link:

Rost

Demel  Rozehnal  Mathijsen  Aogo

Ze’ Roberto      Jarolim

Pitroipa   Trochowski   Elia

Berg

Me? I think we see something like this:

Rost

Demel  Rozehnal  Mathijsen  Aogo

Trochowski   Ze’ Roberto  Jarolim  Elia

Torun  Berg

Thoughts?

Bottom line:

The defense has been playing very well in front of Rost, who was a stone wall versus Leverkusen, especially late in the game.  In the match versus Hapoel, Torun and Berg showed some chemistry and worked very well together. Bruno is adamant about keeping width in the midfield and for good reason–it’s worked. Despite the fact that Celtic are a bit off the pace in the SPL, Scottish football in general is getting a bad rap these days, and as a result *only* 40,00o tickets have been sold, Parkhead is never an easy place to play. But we have played in difficult away matches before (the 2007/08 UEFA Cup at The Maksimir in Zagreb versus Dinamo immediately leaps to mind). Celtic are struggling, but not really–the expectations are exceptionally high at Parkhead–and are a challenge to anyone at home. I will be very interested to see the attack now that Berg is The Man from here on out. If he and Torun can recapture the magic they displayed against Hapoel, I think we’ll be fine and take 3 points. But Celtic aren’t Hapoel Tel-Aviv. If the attack doesn’t get going, I think we’re lucky to get a result. My SWAG prediction:  2:1 to the HSV.

]]> http://hamburg.theoffside.com/team-news/europa-league-hsv-v-celtic-preview.html/feed 3 http://hamburg.theoffside.com/team-news/hsv-v-hapoel-preview.html http://hamburg.theoffside.com/team-news/hsv-v-hapoel-preview.html#comments Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:33:41 +0000 Chris http://hamburg.theoffside.com/team-news/hsv-v-hapoel-preview.html News and notes leading up to the Europa League clash with Hapoel Tel Aviv on Thursday. . .

•Paolo Guerrero had surgery in my hometown of Denver (Colorado) this week under the skilled knife of Dr. Richard Steadman (actually, Steadman’s clinic is in the alpine resort town of Vail, but hey, who’s keeping track . . .), and the prognosis for his return to the pitch is about 4 months. That, my friends, puts him back in the starting XI by February. Sweet.

•Ze Roberto continues to rehab a bruised ankle and is, in American football parlance, questionable for tonight’s match. If he doesn’t go, look for a midfield of Trochowski, Aogo, Jarolim, and Elia. Guy Demel left the Bayern match with a bruised ankle, after a deliberate (and uncalled) foul by Frank Ribery in the first half. But our man Guy has made a miraculous recovery and was able to train both Tuesday and Wednesday. Look for him to take the pitch at Right Back.

•Talks with in-form striker Mladen Petric regarding a contract extension have broken down. Rumors to that effect last week led to every scout from every “major” (Read: Rich) club in Europe watching Petric versus Bayern. Petric, for his part, says he is disappointed.

•There will be a familiar face to Bundesliga fans in the starting XI for Tel Aviv tonight: Former 1860 Munich and Köln/Cologne midfielder Nemanja Vucicevic signed with Tel Aviv this summer.

Where'd everybody go?

•Only 27,000 tickets had been sold to tonight’s match as of this morning, meaning there will be a LOT of HSV supporters in attendance dressed like empty seats. Everyone at HSV has pointed to this match as a must win, and are pleading with supporters to buy tickets to the match this evening.

•Great story here about the background of Hapoel Tel Aviv, their relationship to Hamburg’s “other” club, FC St. Pauli, and their rivalry with larger local rival Maccabi Tel Aviv. Some 700 Hapoel supporters are expected to attend tonight, along with 200 of their comrades from St. Pauli’s goons Ultras.

Let’s not beat around the bush. The Bayern win was a rousing as the defeat to Rapid was crushing. We need to win tonight to have any hope of advancing to the group stage. With a trip to Celtic Park looming, we need a full three points and no away goals to Hapoel tonight. Remember, this is the same Hapoel who went into Celtic Park and punked Celtic 1:2 on Matchday 1.

One hacks attempt at a starting XI:

Rost

Demel Boateng Mathijsen Aogo

Ze Roberto Jarolim

Trochowski Elia

Petric Berg

SWAG Prediction–2:1 HSV, goals by Elia and Boateng (a really swing for the fences [baseball term], I’ll admit, but he had a hell of a shot in Sunday’s match and I think he’s due).

There really hasn’t been much to report on since the last post (and by the way, I am putting out an APB for co-blogger Evan–I haven’t heard from him in weeks. Seriously, I hope his pic isn’t showing up on milk cartons in Auz. . .), until yesterday and I decided to write two posts rather than one.

What happened yesterday? HSV finally completed the transfer of center back David Rozehnal from Lazio. The deal would have been done a LOT earlier except Lazio’s batshit-insane owner Claudio Lotito wanted a bigger transfer fee than was previously agreed to. The two sides finally settled on €5million. Rozehnal did not travel with the side to Denmark and will likely make his debut Monday evening versus Fortuna Dusseldorf on August 3 in the opening round of the Pokal.

Randers FC are based in–you guessed it–Randers Denmark, and finished fifth in the Danish SuperLiga in 2008/09. They qualified for the Europa League via UEFA’s Fair Play rankings Here’s how that business works:

The three highest placed national associations in the UEFA Fair Play ranking will each automatically gain an extra qualification berth for the First Qualifying Round, providing they have exceeded the threshold of games played, and have a minimum average score of 8.0. These berths will then be allocated to the highest placed club in that association’s own Fair Play league that has not yet qualified for either the UEFA Champions League or the UEFA Europa League.

Randers have advanced by defeating Northern Ireland outfit Linfield FC 7:0 on aggregate in the first round and FK Sūduva of Lithuania 2:1 (agg.) in the second round.

Here’s the likely starting XI for tonight’s match. Don’t worry if you don’t see a new name or a familiar name–I’m getting to that.

Rost

Demel    Boateng    Mathijsen    Aogo

Trochowski    Jarolim   Ze Roberto   Pitroipa/Castelen

Guerrero    Petric

First, I hope that Romeo Castelen gets the nod over Jonathon Pitroipa tonight–dude has been through a shitload of rehab and hard work to get back to playing condition following successive knee injuries.  Eljero Elia bruised his knee and will be out for three weeks.  Marcell Jansen is hurt, too (his ankle), and did not travel with the side. Marcus Berg is just getting to match-level conditioning and was left home as a result. All, with the exception of Elia, should be ready for the Cup match on Monday and the return leg against Randers next Thursday.

SWAG prediction: Make it 3:1 HSV, with goals by Guerrero, Ze Roberto and Trochowski. Who knows–I haven’t seen any of the matches so far. . .

Quick hits:

-David Jarolim was retained as captain; Joris Mathijsen is the deputy.

-Tonight’s match was not going to be televised in Germany; now it is (on HSV TV–go to the club web site).

Meet Marcus “the Mountain” Berg, ex- of FC Groningen of the Eredivisie, and newest member of HSV. The story broke Friday evening (European time) by the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. Berg’s arrival was announced on the German part of the HSV website, but not the English version (Time out:  If anyone associated with the club reads this stupid blog, how about keeping the English version of the club site up to speed with the German side? Is that asking too much?) If you have been following this story, you know that Berg is a true goal scorer, and in the mold of a KJH–equally deadly with his head and his feet. In the past two seasons for Groningen, Berg has tallied 32 goals in 56 Eredivisie matches. Not too shabby.

You know what else is nice? Scooping somebody else for a change, instead of being owned by other Bundesliga bloggers. So I got that goin’ for me. Which is nice.

Next up is to sign another defender and the two names which continue to come up are Philippe Senderos of Arsenal and Rasmus Bengtssen of Trelleborg (Sweden). I’d put my money on Bengtssen if I were a wagering type.

Also, there has been some scuttlebut that VDV *may* be on his way back to Hamburg, and those same stories are quick to point out that the lovely and talented Sylvie has been pushing him for such a move. HSV are even said to be trying to track down a wealthy benefactor to foot the bill for such a move so as not to jeopardize the financial solvency of the club. The problem is not the transfer fee, though, but Rafa’s €4M+ wage packet. Hoffman has said there is no money to bring in VDV, but he is our Prodigal Son and I know that many HSV supporters would welcome him back with open arms.

The Europa League draw was this morning and we ended up with the winner of FK Suduva (Lithiuania) or Randers FC (Denmark). Third round qualifying takes place July 30 (away) and August 6 (home).  Randers won the first leg 0:1 yesterday.

Final thought–Bruno has decided to pick his own captain, which leaves David Jarolim in a tight spot. Jaro is on the wrong side of 30 and plays a position where we have a WHOLE lot of depth (Ze Roberto, Rincon, Tavares, and maybe even Lorik Cana)–is he expendable at this point or am I reading too much into the situation?

Anyone who is interested in the physiological aspects of this injury can follow this link. Knee injuries are not uncommon in most “American” sports (gridiron football, basketball, baseball) so those of us in the States have had some media exposure to this injury, as do many football fans worldwide. Alex Silva’s countryman Ronaldo seems to have recovered pretty well from his two knee injuries, so let’s hope he calls AS and cheers him up. One thing I will tell you, to a man every player that I have read about who recovers from this injury says the most difficult part of recovery is trusting the knee when you need to plant and change direction. Hopefully, AS will recovery quickly and fully and be back on the pitch in the Ruckründe.

UPDATED 8 July, 22:54 GMT–Alex Silva is out for the season. Here’s the story.

In the 57′ of yesterday’s 0:1 defeat to Austrian 2. Bundesliga side Wacker Innsbruck, Alex Silva twisted his knee and and had to be substituted due to the extreme pain. He was carried from the pitch on a stretcher and replaced by Kai-Fabian Schulz. Team physician Dr. Oliver Dierk will examine Alex Silva today (Wednesday) and give an initial diagnosis, probably after an MRI. If it is a torn ACL or MCL, Alex Silva will miss the next 6 months at a minimum, and could miss the entire season–a HUGE blow to our already thin ranks on the defense.

If Alex Silva’s knee injury is as feared–a tear and not a sprain–the transfer strategy will have to change in order to replace the defender. As I mentioned yesterday, he was moved to central defense by Bruno. Jerome Boateng can certainly play CD, and excelled in that role at the recent Euro U21’s, but behind him on the depth chart is a whole lot of nuthin’. Yesterday, I wrote that Philippe Senderos of Arsenal, late of AC Milan, was a potential target, and that pursuit may speed up in light of Alex Silva’s current health. But what does that do to the transfer of Groningen striker Markus “the Mountain” Berg? Well, according to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, nothing–he’s already signed a 5 year deal with HSV. NOW, I travel to the Netherlands occasionally (though not as much as I used to), but I can’t vouch for the journalistic credibility/verascity of De Telegraaf’s football coverage. German television NDR also picked up the Telegraaf story, and they were not able to get a confirmation from the club. The Hamburg Abendblatt also picked up the story, so who knows where this is. Either way, I think they pursue another defender–maybe on a loan?–for depth, and move Boateng into the starting XI. OR, do they call ol’ Bastian Reinhardt back and say Dude, this whole thing where we said we didn’t think you could cut it anymore has been a total mixup.

The sticking point of the negotiations was the transfer fee. Orginally, Twente demanded €12m for Elia, while HSV were only offering €8m. Twente lowered their demands to €10m, but HSV initially wouldn’t budge on the €8m offer. Ultimately, HSV did pony up €9.1m and the deal was done. Elia was also pursued by a number of Premiership sides including Chelsea, Man City, Spurs, Bolton, and Wigan, as well as Ajax. Elia would never move to Ajax though, as he was dismissed from the Ajax youth academy when he was 13. He was re-discovered by ADO Den Haag two years later and after showing rapid improvement, he was pursued again by Ajax. Pfffffffft!  Get bent! His family jokingly threatened him with bodily harm this time around if he even considered BMJ and Ajax. Elia says he’s met with fellow Dutchmen Nigel de Jong, Khalid Boulahrouz, Rafael van Der Vaart and phoned Joris Mathijsen, and to a man, they all told him to come to HSV.

There’s a report today in Bild (I know, I know. . .) that Die Rothosen are back oogling Sweden international and Groningen striker Marcus Berg. Berg’s price is a bit higher than it was earlier this spring; he positively starred at the recent UEFA U21’s, bagging 7 goals in just 4 games. Groningen have set his transfer fee at a cool €10m. Which is all well and good. Except that we also have eyes for an interior defender, who happens to be Swiss international Philippe Senderos of Arsenal. Senderos spent last season on loan with AC Milan, but the Rossonerri chose not to exercise their option to purchase Senderos at the end of the loan. Here’s the rub:  HSV doesn’t want to pay for both, and they prefer to add another striker.  OK–seems to make sense to me, because up front we have (in no particular order): Petric, Guerrero, Tunay Torun, Elia, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, and by making this move, it would seem that the front office are preparing to move Guerrero this summer or in the winter instead of letting him walk for nothing in 2010, á la Ivica Olic. BUT, I just have a strong, uneasy feeling about the depth at the back, which has been a theme of mine for some time. Labbadia is moving Alex Silva back to central defense next to Mathijsen. That makes Jerome Boateng the perfect sub as he can play both right back and, as he showed with great aplumb at the U21’s, central defense as well. That looks really great, but again, I would prefer to see another warm body for the back line.

Based on Bruno’s stated preference for a 4-1-2-1-2 formation, here’s what the squad (as it is currently comprised) may look like whent they take the pitch on 8 August versus Freiburg:

Rost

 Boateng (Demel)     Alex Silva     Mathijsen     Aogo

 Jarolim

 Trochowski (Zé Roberto)                         Jansen (Pitroipa)

 Zé Roberto (Trochowski)

Elia/Guerrero     Petric

What do you think?

•HSV play Wacker Innsbruck tonight in a friendly. This is the last friendly that we play before the first round of the DFB-Pokal and Europa League qualifying.

•Former HSV defenders Thimothee Atouba and Bastian Reinhardt are on the radars of Ajax and Hertha, respectively.

When his contract is up, he will become the head South American scout for HSV based in Brazil. He said that the most important factors in chosing Hamburg were the fact that they offered the third year and that his wife and children wouldn’t have to learn a new culture by staying in Germany–he was being pursued by a number of the larger clubs in the Premiership. Oh, and we also signed Robert Tesche from Bielefeld.

In other news, training camp has finally begun, but with only 16 players on the first team roster. The Ze Roberto signing is a real coup for us, but as I wrote throughout all of 2008/09, we need depth in addition to quality. We have national team players at every position on the pitch–seriously think about it. The only two guys who are not starting for their national side are Frank Rost and Alex Silva. But there is *zero* second line talent, particularly up front. I would like very much to see Labbadia give youngsters like Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Anis Ben-Hatira a chance.  According to Bild, the negotiations for Eljero Elia have ceased with Lyon now looking at Elia to replace the departed Karim Benzema (and this part of the Hamburg Offside is a HUGE Benzema fan, but I wonder where the hell he is going to play. AND since Real now have Benzema, could we have KJH? Just a thought . . .).  In light of these developments, HSV have shifted their affections attention to acquiring (in no particular order) Vagner Love (25) of CSKA Moscow and Welliton (22) of Spartak Moscow.

Same story goes on to say that Bruno is kinda pissed at BMJ for setting such a late start to camp, but what are you going to do? His focus right now is to get the players he has right now prepared for the Europa Cup qualifying matches and the first round of the Pokal . . .

So that’s all for now from the Hamburg Offside. If you are reading this outside the USA, enjoy your weekend. If you are in the States, have a happy Fourth and celebrate the independence of our nation by blowing up a small part of it! Cheers!

Brazilian international Ze Roberto appears to be on his way to Die Rothosen–get this–via free transfer. The soon-to-be-ex-Bayern midfield star had been negotiating a new deal with the Bavarians but the sticking point of the deal was that Ze Roberto wanted a two-year contract and Bayern were only offering one year. His agent promptly turned to HSV and said, Hey, are you interested? To which Herr Hoffmann most likely said Hells yeah! 

Ze Roberto will get his two year deal with an option for a third from HSV at around €4m per annum, which is steep for a guy who is 35.  BUT . . . this is one of the top midfielders in the Bundesliga who has been capped for mighty Brazil 83 times. So the high salary is offset by the fact that HSV are not paying a transfer fee–his contract with Bayern expired on 30 June.

Other News: 

Eljero Elia of Twente is still on the wish list of HSV, but the sticking point in the transfer negotiations is the fee–Twente want €12m and HSV are offering €8m . . .

Jerome Boateng opened some eyes at the U21’s as a central defender and his agent has been contacted by the Special One and representatives of Inter. Boateng, to his credit, has publicly stated he’s staying put.

And finally, a fond birthday wish to Hamburg Offside fave, goalkeeper Frank Rost, who turned 36 yesterday.

Sylvie van Der Vaart, the lovely and talented TV-presenter-wife of our boy Rafa, recently underwent surgery for breast cancer. Sylvie’s prognosis for recovery and cure is good, as the cancer was detected in its early stages. As part of her treatment protocol, she will need to undergo a course of chemotherapy this summer.

I hope that I speak for all HSV supporters (and citizens of Hamburg) when I say that I wish Sylvie the very best for a speedy and complete recovery.  Of course, this news allows the Hamburg Offside to post more pictures of our favorite WAG . . .

By the way, the comment I have been trying to vet was on a radio report that HSV had signed Twente striker Eljero Elia . . .