With Hamburg languishing at the bottom of the table under previous manager Michael Oenning, there has been a mini revival of sorts since Thorsten Fink took charge last month, though one player has shone in particular.
The impact of the former Basel manager cannot be underestimated, with the young German coach installing a confidence back into the side that had clearly run out under the previous management. Insisting that a club the stature of Hamburg should be challenging more often with the likes of Bayern and Dortmund at the top rather than Augsburg and Freiburg at the bottom, Fink has turned HSV into a hard-working young side that are now hard to beat and have players who can cause damage at the other end.
Perhaps the man, in fact teenager, who stands out above any other in attacking areas at Hamburg is Chelsea youth product Gökhan Töre. Snapped up by Frank Arnesen in the summer, the Director of Football had clearly seen something in the 19-year-old Turk from his days with the Londoners, bringing ex-Blues duo Jeffrey Bruma (loan) and Michael Mancienne along for the ride.
While Bruma has been solid and dependable in the most part despite his tender age of 20, it is Töre who has perhaps made the biggest impact on the team and its fans, culminating in a scintillating display against Hoffenheim this weekend.
The 2-0 victory on Sunday was actually Fink's first league victory at his new club, steadying the ship with 3 consecutive draws after assistant boss Rodolfo Cardoso and Frank Arnesen had led the side to a 2-1 win over Freiburg while he got settled. Gökhan Töre may not have played a part in either of the goals but his trickery on the ball caused the visiting defenders all sorts of problems until he was substituted in the 77th minute.
By that time, the already 7-time capped senior Turkey international had completed a quite remarkable 15 successful dribbles. Having been tied with the mercurial Messi in Europe for the most dribbles per game prior to the match, he is now the overall leader with 6.3 to the Argentine's 5.8. The current Ballon d'Or holder, and strong favourite to retain that title, has never emulated Töre's figure from this weekend, with 13 his best. Indeed the teen's efforts in this regard have left him with the highest number of successful dribbles in the past three seasons across the top 5 leagues, trumping Robben and Marin's 14s respectively from last term.
The young wide man's talents do not lay solely in his ability to take on an opponent, and he is perhaps not your stereotypical tricky winger, possessing a frame that allows him to bulldoze his way through challenges at times. His upper body strength is a key asset in his ability to ride challenges and, interestingly, the youngster has only been fouled once per game this season. This is the 12th most of any Hamburg player and when considering his tendency to outsmart an opponent, is testament to his ability to stay on his feet and out-muscle defenders. It may also suggest that Bundesliga sides are underestimating the threat he poses; coming to the league as somewhat of an unknown entity, things will surely change soon as he begins to get targeted by opposing sides.
An average 80% pass accuracy seems modest but should not be frowned upon for a player of his ilk and position, while a team high of 1.8 key passes have led to 4 assists - the only Hamburg player to complete more than one, in fact. His finishing could improve, however, failing to score from 14 shots this season.
If Töre can continue his rich vein of form, picking up 3 of his aforementioned 4 assists in his last 5 appearances in the league, Hamburg's climb up the table may well continue in turn. His average rating over the 5 games since Fink's appointment stands out an outstanding 7.74, with the win over Hoffenheim heralding a much-deserved 8.32 having also completed an excellent game high of 94% for pass accuracy.
His rise to the limelight at the Imtech Arena sees him as WhoScored.com's top rated Hamburg player with 7.18 over the season, and it is surely only a matter of time before he starts drawing admiring glances from elsewhere, with Chelsea beginning to look foolish for letting the 19-year-old leave on a free!
