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Monday 3 February 2014

Hamburg boss considers options after debacle

Hamburg boss considers options after debacle

Last Updated: Sunday, February 02, 2014, 19:59
  
Hamburg boss considers options after debacle
Berlin: Coach Bert van Marwijk has said he will stand aside if somebody else can turn around Hamburg`s fortunes after five consecutive defeats.

Hamburg`s 3-0 defeat at Hoffenheim on Saturday left them third from bottom in the Bundesliga.

The 61-year-old, who steered Holland to the 2010 World Cup final, took charge in September, but after an initial improvement, Hamburg have slipped back into the relegation zone.

Van Marwijk has lost seven of his 13 league games, with three draws and three wins.

After Saturday`s debacle in Hoffenheim, he has said anyone who thinks they can do better should come forward -- with ex-Bayern Munich coach Felix Magath having expressed interest.

Mid-table Hoffenheim opened the scoring after only four minutes through Roberto Firmino, then defender Niklas Suele made it 2-0 just before half-time with a header.

Hoffenheim captain Andreas Beck added the third with an hour gone, leaving van Marwijk to lament the performance.

"I`ve given no thought to my position, but if someone thinks that he can do it better, then he should tell me," said Van Marwijk.

"A fifth defeat in a row - this is the first time in my career that this has happened.

"Nevertheless I saw signs in the first-half that the team wanted to give an answer to our recent bad performances.

"Our biggest problem is that we concede goals too easily.

"The 2-0 was the turning point, we behaved like amateurs.

"We have to be able to get through a game without conceding a goal and shooting ourselves in the foot."

Sky pundit and Norway`s ex-Bundesliga player Jan Aage Fjortoft has said Magath, who won Bundesliga titles with Bayern and Wolfsburg, could rescue Hamburg.

The 60-year-old, a notoriously disciplinarian coach, has said he agrees.

"If Jan Aage Fjortoft says I would save Hamburg, he is certainly right, but whether it will happen, no one knows," Magath, who last coached Wolfsburg in 2012, told Sky Sports.

Hamburg captain Rafael van der Vaart, part of the Dutch side that reached the World Cup final but then performed disastrously at Euro 2012 which led to Van Marwijk leaving his post, said the responsibility to turn things around lies with the players.

"It was a disaster, playing football like that is no fun," said Van der Vaart.

"I would also like to take three points home from away matches and win a few home games.

"This season is a disaster, we must turn things around quickly.

"The players produced a disaster which the coach can`t do much about."
AFP ------------------------ ZEENEWS.com

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