What do Hamburger SV, FC Schalke 04 and Werder Bremen have in common? The supposed heavyweights of the second Bundesliga were already shown in the starting phase of the new season that nothing is given to them in the lower house. On the contrary: Only a meager four points from the first three games and positions between eight and eleven in the table make it clear that the return to the first division, given as the season's goal, will not be a sure-fire success. HSV is the best example: The former first division dinosaur has already failed three times after the first relegation in club history.

The third matchday was particularly disappointing for Bremen. The embarrassing 1: 4 (0: 3) in front of the home crowd against SC Paderborn, without a win, was like a playful oath of revelation and made the false start of coach Markus Anfang and his team perfect. The goal scorers Felix Platte (9th / 17th), Sven Michel (36th) and Ron Schallenberg (55th) sealed the bitter setback, which the audience acknowledged with a loud whistle after the final whistle.

“This league is rock hard,” said Schalke's coach Dimitrios Grammozis after the meager 1-1 draw against Erzgebirge Aue.

After 30 years in the Bundesliga, Champions League and triumphs in the UEFA Cup and DFB Cup, “Royal Blue” is struggling in the second division.

"We won't say: We come from the Bundesliga and now hop through the league a bit," explained Grammozis.

"No team will give us anything for free."

Schalke now in Regensburg

No wonder, because S04 is in the middle of a radical change. Sports director Peter Knäbel brought 13 new professionals, against Aue eight entries were in the starting line-up. As at the start against HSV (1: 3), Schalker started promisingly, but after Dominick Drexler's lead (32nd) and "a good 60 minutes" (Grammozis) the thread broke. Aue became more courageous and rewarded with Sascha Härtel's goal (86th). “We deservedly been punished. We had the game in hand and gave it up, ”said goalkeeper Ralf Fährmann.

To make matters worse, Schalke will have to compete against the surprise leaders from Regensburg next Saturday, who celebrated their third victory in the 3-0 win over last year's near-climber Holstein Kiel and therefore actually goes into the game as the favorite. However, coach Mersad Selimbegovic sees it differently. “We also know who we are dealing with.” But he doesn't want to make Jahn small either, given the current run. "It is of course better if you have nine points after three games and play against Schalke."

At HSV, the situation is similar to that in Bremen and Schalke. After Hannes Wolf, Dieter Hecking and Daniel Thioune, the fourth head coach in Tim Walter is already trying to make the rise again - with many new players and a different approach. Walter relies on young, greedy players, a lot of possession and a courageous style of play that also carries risks. Especially if the team has not yet internalized the "Walter System", as it became clear in the 2: 3 derby at FC St. Pauli. The fourth bankruptcy in the last five duels with the Kiezkickers made it clear how far apart the HSV claim (promotion) and reality (mediocrity) are from each other.

“I am a man of frank and sincere words.

I believe that it is important that you get criticism, deal with it and learn from it, ”said Walter, who did not exclude himself.

“We're losing as HSV, and I'm part of it.

That's why we have to chalk this up as a team and find solutions. ”These have to be found quickly.

It is still too early to panic after three match days, but a unit is not yet recognizable at HSV.

"Then the game is different"

But Walter didn't want to badmouth everything either. “We were in good shape for the first 20 minutes, had two breakthroughs through Bakéry Jatta and have to score the goal. Then the game is different. ”But St. Pauli won thanks to Simon Makienok (2) and Finn Ole Becker. Like Walter, Grammozis also demands patience. “We have a mixed team, many only joined us towards the end of the preparation phase. Many are not yet at 100 percent, so we have to be patient. "

SV Darmstadt 98 and his new coach Torsten Lieberknecht landed a brilliant break in the meantime. With 6: 1 (4: 0) the Hessians finished off the still winless FC Ingolstadt. Phillip Tietz (29th / 45th + 4 minutes) and Luca Pfeiffer (39th / 66th) each scored twice for the "lilies". In addition, Fabian Schnellhardt (45th + 2) and Braydon Manu (90th + 4) were successful for the hosts in stoppage time. The FCI only scored a goal through Stefan Kutschke (50th). In the other game on Sunday, 1. FC Heidenheim and Hansa Rostock separated 1: 1.