HSV's problem area is becoming ever clearer - and every opponent takes advantage of that

Nobody made a happy impression at Hamburger SV. The 2: 2 at the last strong Fortuna from Dusseldorf caused a lot of frustration and no joy for players and coach Tim Walter. The point was not enough in the fight for promotion to the 2nd Bundesliga. It was no consolation that Düsseldorf also struggled with the draw and would have to bury their upward ambitions. "In the end it's a draw that doesn't help either team," said Hamburg's midfielder Jonas Meffert on Friday evening.

The HSV project ascent is not in danger yet. But the club (50 points) is currently in relegation place three. The distance to the teams behind is reassuring, but Darmstadt 98 (55) and 1. FC Heidenheim have settled on the two direct promotion places.

Before the crunch time of the season, it becomes more and more apparent where the problem area for the Hamburgers lies: at the back. Only goalkeeper Daniel Heuer Fernandes met the highest standards in Düsseldorf. His front men, however, seemed too often unsettled, especially in the first half. "We have to get back to zero at the back," he demanded.

Meffert also complained: "We're leading 1-0, didn't have any pressure at all and then served the opponent the goals on a silver platter."

The game in Düsseldorf made it clear how dependent the defense is on their boss Sebastian Schonlau. The captain sat out because of his fifth yellow card. Even in the last away game at Karlsruher SC (2:4), the 28-year-old was sorely missed due to an injury.

Schonlau is irreplaceable in central defence. Not even Mario Vuskovic, who has been missing since mid-November due to his suspension for EPO doping. "I can't pull Schonlau out of a hat, I can't pull Vuskovic out of a hat," said Walter, who recently described the two as "the two best central defenders in the league". "I have to play with the ones I have."

This staff cannot represent the Schonlau/Vuskovic duo on an equal footing. In Düsseldorf, Walter played with a chain of three instead of the four he usually preferred. As expected, he placed Moritz Heyer and – rather unexpectedly – ​​Javi Montero in defence. Miro Muheim also played alongside.

Montero and Muheim made the crucial mistakes that led to the Düsseldorf goals: When Fortuna equalized 1-1, the Spaniard allowed Dawid Kownacki (21st minute) to head the ball undisturbed. When the second goal was conceded by Düsseldorf's Felix Klaus (28th), Muheim defended clumsily.

In the next game on Saturday (1.30 p.m. / Sky) against Hannover 96, both will be missing: Muheim, because he received his fifth yellow card. Montero because he saw yellow and red (89th) – for the second time in the third game. "It's unbelievable, two yellow and red cards - you can't just brush that under the table," said goalkeeper Heuer-Fernandes.

Montero was preferred to the young Jonas David, who often forms the defender duo with Schonlau in the second half of the season. But without the captain at his side, David himself has repeatedly shown weaknesses.

Montero, who was brought in in the winter, has so far not proved to be the reinforcement he was hoping for - and didn't take his chance in Düsseldorf either. "He's not doing it on purpose. The team suffers. He has to learn from it," said coach Walter about the Spaniard's unfortunate performance. It is unlikely that the loan from Besiktas Istanbul will be able to continue his learning process in Hamburg beyond the summer.

After all, Walter can rely on his team being good for goals on offense. Laszlo Benes' early hit (5th) in the margin after a weak penalty shot by him and the own goal by Düsseldorf's Christoph Klarer (75th) in his attempt to clear Sonny Kittel were the only results in front of 52,200 spectators.

There are still eight games to reach the self-declared goal. Walter praised his team in Düsseldorf for what he saw as a "very, very good game". "We need to reward ourselves more. And that's what we will do in the coming weeks," said the 47-year-old. "Our way is always forward."

After all: Compared to the previous season, Hamburg now has eight points more in the account.