Hamburg head coach Merlin Polzin has clarified why he chose to substitute Philip Otele at half-time during the 1-1 draw with Augsburg.
Polzin’s side trailed 1-0 at half-time, with Otele missing the chance to equalise in the 39th minute.
The Nigeria international was replaced by Rayan Philippe after the break.
Read Also:‘He Can Find The Net’ — Celtic Boss Praises Match-Winner Iheanacho
Polzin Reacts To Otele’s Substitution
The manager clarified that substituting the winger was a strategic decision, not due to any injury or fitness issue.
“No, he was not injured. It is always about improving our game. In the first half, we didn’t like our play because it caused us problems regarding depth and the repeated number of deep runs behind the line,” Polzin said after the game.
“We needed those runs to become dangerous or to increase the space in the intermediate gaps.
“In that case, we weren’t satisfied, and it became significantly more dynamic with Jatta. Therefore, I believe it was a good decision for the team.”
By Adeboye Amosu
