- Leitl on Hannover 96 and the fans: many things grow together
For Stefan Leitl, it was a completely new feeling. For the first time in his now two-year tenure at Hannover 96, the 46-year-old started the 2. Bundesliga season with a win. In previous years, he and his team had suffered a defeat and a draw. This time, the 2:0 victory against Jahn Regensburg was well-deserved and dominant. There were no doubts about the win throughout the entire match.
What was much more important to Leitl was the euphoria surrounding his team among the fans. "We had 31,000 spectators, 2,000 more than last year. You can see that we're on a path where a lot is coming together and going in the right direction," he said. "That's how it should continue."
The only point of criticism was the finishing.
That the promoted team from Regensburg is not the benchmark for their ambitions, the players and decision-makers are aware. Nevertheless, the mature performance against the league returnee from the Upper Palatinate was the first indication that the team may have taken a step forward.
The only criticism was the finishing in the second half. Otherwise, more goals could have been scored, like those from the strong Nicolo Tresoldi (11') and Jannik Dehm (23') after outstanding combinations.
"If things and processes that you train work, it naturally gives you confidence," said Leitl. "In the first half, we were really good, in the second, we have room for improvement."
Leitl expressed his satisfaction with the large crowd, stating, "We had 31,000 spectators, 2,000 more than last year, indicating that we're on a positive trajectory in the Football league." Following the dominant win, discussions about Hannover 96's potential progression in the Football league began to circulate.
