At first glance, it seems like quite a delicate matter: Hamburg er SV are heading into the top match in Dortmund with a 16-year-old youngster.
Louis Lemke scored in the cup against Verl and will also start on the left side today.
Due to a lack of alternatives? That is certainly part of the truth.
After all, the Hamburg academy product has only made a single Bundesliga appearance so far.
On matchday 33 of last season, at 16 years and 214 days old, he became the youngest Bundesliga player in HSV history.
But the fact that there currently are not all that many options on the left flank in Hamburg's squad is truly not the only reason for his inclusion.
Coach Merlin Polzin explained his decision before kickoff on Sky's microphone: among other things, he had set out with the principle of rewarding young players from the academy with minutes on the biggest stage for the right performances. He wants to continue doing that.
Afterwards, however, the coach also pointed out that the focus in the match against Dortmund should of course not be only on this personnel decision, but on the collective.
Kathleen Krüger — HSV's sporting director since this summer — also underlined on Sky that one of the coaching staff's great strengths is that the coaches have an understanding of the club's own youth players.
By the way, at 16 years and 325 days old, Lemke is the second-youngest starting player in Bundesliga history; according to Opta, only Moukoko was younger.
Alongside Lemke, two other HSV gems are also involved today. Otto Stange and Shafiq Nandja are also in the squad and will get to sample Bundesliga action, albeit initially only from the bench.
What do you think? Is Lemke already ready for the responsibility of a starting spot? Or could this also go wrong? Feel free to write it in the comments!
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.
