A 2-1 away loss to Hamburg ensured that Frank Schmidt’s Heidenheim remain at rock bottom of the Bundesliga table. Four losses through four matchdays and just two goals scored all season don’t bode well for the relegation-threatened Ostalbenschwaben. Neither does dropping a critical fixture against a relegation rival. Union Berlin and Borussia Mönchengladbach still have chances to pull away from Heidenheim this weekend.
Heidenheim remained strewn with problems. Leart Paçarada’s loss to an ACL tear exacerbates the team’s problems at left-back. Schmidt’s only remaining option at the position, Jonas Föhrenbach, again struggled defensively and was culpable on both Hamburger SV goals. The 29-year-old oftentimes does not look qualified for the top flight.
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With respect to the attack, Schidt’s BaWü Borderers entered Saturday’s league encounter having scored only one Bundesliga goal this season. It remains worrying that the scorer of said goal – new Southhampton signing Leo Scienza – has departed for greener pastures. Heidenheim were able to commemorate their second Bundesliga goal on Sunday. The young goal-scorer could even potentially help FCH out with their defensive issues.
Schmidt gave youngsters Yannik Wagner (18) and Adam Kölle (19) their league debuts in the 79th minute of the HSV match. Wagner (18 years, 134 days) overtook Paul Wanner (18 years, 246 days) as the youngest player to ever appear for Heidenheim in their (admittedly short) stint in the top division. Kölle then gave the team a spark of hope with a late pull-back goal at 90+3.
Kölle’s goal breathed new life into his team. In what was a nervy finish for HSV supporters at the Volksparkstadion, plenty of end-to-end action left the result in doubt until match official Florian Exner finally blew the full-time whistle at 90+8. Kölle and Schmidt were nevertheless not in much of a mood to discuss silver-linings in their post-match comments.
“We didn’t bawl,” Schmidt was quick to note at the post-match press conference. “but [this result] is hard to accept. We had an incredible amount of chances for an away game, but – with just one goal – we didn’t make the most of them. For me, it wasn’t a matter of just giving away one point [for a draw]. We squandered away three [from a potential win].
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“What annoys me immensely is the second goal we conceded,” Schmidt continued. “We weren’t present. We lost all three duels leading up to the goal. Then it was 2-0. That makes it damn hard to come back. These deep sleep phases in defense must be stopped at all costs.“
“In the end, we’re left empty-handed,” Kölle added in the mixed zone. “Right now, it feels pretty awful. Zero points don’t do us any good. I was happy to be on the pitch in the Bundesliga for the first time. But the mood is rather negative at the moment.”