On August 20, the first round of the German Cup started, Hamburg challenged Karlsruhe away.
Since this game was head coach Pan Yi's first official game after joining Hamburg, it naturally attracted the attention of many local media in Hamburg.
Many Hamburg fans also went to the away games to cheer for the team they supported.
But from the very beginning of the game, they felt something was not right.
The formation Pan Yi arranged was exactly the 4231 he had been practicing, and the starting lineup looked like this:
Center Marcus Berry.
Left winger Marcel Janssen, right winger Lin Zhijian, and midfielder Calhanoglu.
Double defensive midfielder Jacopo Sala, Shelbrae.
The back line is lined up with Westerman, Mancion, Jeffrey Bruma, and Dick Meier.
Goalkeeper Neuhaus.
None of the people Pan Yi introduced in Xia Chuang played!
This starting lineup is basically Hamburg's original lineup from last season. Except for a few main players who have left the team, everything that can be played is available.
"Is this coach Pan Yi's denial of his summer signings?"
"He tried various lineups in the warm-up match and finally found that our original main force worked best?"
"Isn't that a waste of the club's money? Spending so much money to bring in players, only to have them all be substitutes?"
"I told you earlier, this guy from the Dragon Kingdom is here to get kickbacks..."
"You think, is it possible that because this is the German Cup and the opponent is a third-division team, the starter we sent is actually not the main lineup?"
"Fart! This is his first game in our team. Anyone who replaces him will take it seriously. Who wants to lose the first game?"
"makes sense……"
Among Hamburg fans, similar doubts arise one after another.
And it was amid such doubts that Pan Yi's first game in Hamburg officially started!
In fact, although Hamburg's starting lineup is a full rotation in Pan Yi's mind, its strength is still acceptable.
Center Marcus Berry is a Swedish international, while Marcel Janssen and Westermann are former German internationals. Even Jeffrey Bruma has been selected for the Dutch national team.
It's just that many of them are relatively marginalized figures in the national team.
Berry's direct competitor in the Swedish national team is Ibrahimovic, and his playing time can be imagined, which means that he can get more opportunities when playing as a double forward in Sweden.
Janssen, who participated in the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, is considered a veteran German international, but he played as a substitute most of the time.
Bruma was even worse. He only played one friendly match for the Dutch national team, and was replaced at halftime. From then on, his national team career ended hastily.
But no matter what, this lineup can still gain an advantage on the field when facing a C-level team like Karlsruhe.
In the 23rd minute, Hamburg center Berry opened the scoring. He received a cross from Lin Zhijian and scored a header to give Hamburg the lead.
But soon, Karlsruhe, which put on a defensive counterattack posture, responded amidst the cheers of the home fans.
Although Karlsruhe was relegated from Serie B to Serie C last season, it still maintained its main strength this season and its strength has not declined.
In fact, in Pan Yi's previous life, this Karlsruhe team won the third division championship this season and quickly returned to the second division.
In other words, Karlsruhe is actually at the second division level. Compared with Hamburg, which is relegating in the Bundesliga, to be honest, the gap in strength is not as big as everyone thinks.
In the 30th minute, the home team's forward Van der Bitsen used a low shot in the penalty area after successfully countering offside to equalize the score at 1:1.
This goal also showed the characteristics of this C-level team: fast speed, resolute counterattack, and decisive shooting.
But Hamburg was not to be outdone and continued to suppress its opponents.
In the 45th minute, just before halftime, Hamburg got a free kick opportunity in the frontcourt. Facing the old club, Calhanoglu took the penalty and kicked an elevator ball straight into the top corner of the goal, once again taking the lead!
The two sides also entered the halftime break with this 1:2 result.
But after the start of the second half, the situation on the field suddenly changed.
In the 57th minute, Karlsruhe midfielder Ali Baz succeeded in a long shot and equalized the score again, 2:2.
In the 78th minute, Karlsruhe defender Stoll took advantage of a corner kick and headed the lead to overtake the score! 3:2.
In the 86th minute, Karlsruhe forward Soriano sealed the victory, 4:2!
Karlsruhe actually scored three goals in the second half and finally defeated Hamburg and eliminated this Bundesliga team!
Pan Yi was mentally prepared for such a result.
The biggest problem with this rotation is the midfielder.
Italian Sara and Norwegian Shelbrey are actually better at the central midfielder or offensive midfield position, and had not played as a defensive midfielder before this season.
Their problems were also exposed in this game, such as lack of concentration, poor defensive positioning, insufficient space blocking ability, and weak willpower after falling behind, etc.
But in Hamburg's current lineup, except for Makoto Hasebe and Casemiro, there are no candidates suitable for this position.
Pan Yi just wants to find substitutes for them during the game. Otherwise, if these two main players are injured, wouldn't Hamburg not have to play?
In the later stages of the game, Pan Yi also tried it out with the German Teshe. The performance of this true jack-of-all-trades who can play almost all positions on the field was quite acceptable.
Anyway, in the end, it is a matter of merit-based admission, and you should study hard and not drop out.
Of course, there are two more gains.
One is Calhanoglu. The free kick skills of Calhanoglu are indeed unique in their own way.
The other one is Lin Zhijian. Pan Yi allowed him to play as a right winger and it seems to have worked well. His breakthrough and passing efficiency are still good.
As for losing this game and causing Hamburg to be eliminated from the German Cup, this is not what Pan Yi cares about.
With this kind of rotation lineup that hasn't even won against the C-level team, why do you want to fight on two fronts?
…
However, Hamburg fans and media did not intend to let Pan Yi go.
Their dissatisfaction erupted after the game.
Needless to say about the fans, although they applauded and encouraged the Hamburg players when they left the field, there were still a lot of curses directed at Pan Yi.
The Hamburg media was even less polite. All kinds of true and false news covered the pages of major newspapers the next day:
"Hamburg lost the German Cup, and the pressure on the new head coach increased sharply"
"The boast of the top four in the Bundesliga is a joke, Hamburg may go straight to the relegation zone"
"Pan Yi met with captain Westerman before the game, and the two sides were suspected of having a fierce quarrel"
"Buying a group of substitutes for 35 million euros, Chairman Yachov was furious"
"The fastest dismissed coach in Bundesliga history is about to be born? How long can Pan Yi last?"
Although there are some who are relatively rational in the media, for example, "Bild" said:
"Hamburg's defeat in this game is like a microcosm of last season's poor performance. Pan Yi seems to be explaining to everyone why he has introduced so many players this season. The real strength of Hamburg under his command will have to wait five days.
Let’s see each other in the first round of the Bundesliga.”
However, Bild's remarks did not attract much attention and resonance in the current agitated city of Hamburg.
Many Hamburg fans have begun to express pessimism about Hamburg's prospects this season.
If nothing else, you can't even win against a German Bundesliga team, so you want to take the lead and play in the Bundesliga?
Let’s just say that Nuremberg, their opponent in the first round, is not a super strong team, but it has always been in the middle of the Bundesliga. Its strength is not comparable to that of Karlsruhe and the like.
Under such circumstances, Hamburg may face a disastrous defeat in front of tens of thousands of fans at home!
In short, almost everyone has no confidence in the prospects of Pan Yi and Hamburg.
Of course, except Pan Yi and his team members.
Regarding the failure of the German Cup, the coaching staff had already made plans and emphasized to everyone the strategic policy that the league is the focus, which to a large extent alleviated the negative impact caused by the loss.
And Pan Yi has already made sufficient preparations for the first Bundesliga game of the new season!