Game designer Adrian Fein: The player who missed HSV for years

Adrian Fein carries his home on the body. On his left forearm he has tattooed the coat of arms of the city of Munich, on the right arm to follow a tattoo of the Alps.

Munich is fine, he was born in the city, his heart beats for the city, and he makes no secret of the fact that his love is not limited to Munich as a city. Since he was eight years old, he played for Bayern, most recently with the second team of the record champions. He is currently on loan to Hamburger SV, but his dream is to one day play for Bayern's first football team. He emphasizes that again and again.

A second league kicker who dreams of running aground for the biggest German club?

That sounds like wishful thinking. But Fein, 20, is currently recommended for higher tasks. As a game designer before the defense, he has a major role in the fact that the HSV stably occurs this season as in years no longer. At the 6: 2 against VfB Stuttgart last Saturday, he proved his class and scored the last goal. In another duel against Stuttgart in the DFB Cup (18.30 clock, live ticker SPIEGEL ONLINE, TV: Sky), the HSV hopes for the next strong performance of Fein.

The HSV as a stopover

The midfielder personifies the change of the North Club. For many years, HSV saw itself larger than it actually was. It obligated players like Rafael van der Vaart, Lewis Holtby or Pierre-Michel Lasogga and equipped them with expensive contracts. Players who did not consider HSV as an intermediary, but rather as a terminus of their career.

That changed this summer. The new sports director Jonas Boldt and coach Dieter Hecking paid attention in the squad composition on finding the right mix. Experienced second-league professionals form the framework, complemented by the squad with up-and-coming young professionals who see the HSV as a stopover, who want to promote their career. Sonny Kittel, once a prodigy, was about - or just fine.

The Munich has become a regular under Hecking regular. There is a simple reason for this: Fein is the only HSV player to dominate the part of the defensive six who leads the game from the depths. Especially in this position, the HSV lacked for years a player in which all threads converge. Fine is now this player. He is the director of the Hamburg rise to a top team in league two - and possibly also the promotion to the Bundesliga. HSV are currently in first place with 24 points and six points clear of fourth place.

Fine, the strategist

What makes Fein special? He is characterized by his strategic sense. He pulls the game to himself, offers himself before the defense, calls for balls and distributes them. In particular, his wide flying balls remain in memory, with which he moves the game from the center to the wings. The fans are in such good mood.

But Fein does even more for the HSV game: He stuffs gaps in the game against the ball, moves in their own attacks. He is the HSV player with the most miles left, according to the page Whoscored.com he caught the most opponent passes and played after defender Rick van Drongelen the second most passes.

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Fine's prominent role in the HSV game does not escape even the opposing scouts. Virtually every HSV opponent currently plays a player for Fein. Stuttgart Philipp Förster pursued him at 2: 6 consistently. It did not help a lot: Fein nevertheless brought 86 percent of his passes to the teammates. Even if an opponent sits his neck, his first contact is usually optimal. Fine's handling of the men's cover shows another strength: He already knows pretty well when he has to offer himself and when he has to get out of the game. Even more experienced midfielders need several years before they learn it.

Defensively lacking the speed

Technically and tactically, Fein is excellently trained. The question is whether he has physically grown to professional football. At his previous loan station Jahn Regensburg, he had a hard time with the physical game, which demanded his former coach Achim Beierlorzer. At HSV, he is just developing in this facet, acting more physical.

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Meanwhile, Adrian Fein also plays for the German U21 national team

But he will hardly be able to put a stop to his big drawback: the speed is lacking. Against the ball, he fills the six-part not as outstanding as with the ball. The system of Dieter Hecking comes to meet him in this regard. The HSV plays quietly from the defense, wants to run ball and opponents. The Bavarians are also following this game philosophy, and they are also following the development of their lending player.

"We see here the chance that one of our talents after convincing years of training in professional football to FC Bayern returns and is a member of our team," said sports chief Hasan Salihamidzic recently. "He has the quality to accomplish that." But this is still a long way off.