MSV Duisburg is in a serious crisis. At half-time of the game against BVB II, club legend Joachim Hopp made a sweeping statement.

Joachim Hopp talked himself into a rage. When the club legend of third-division football club MSV Duisburg was asked about the predicament at his favourite club during the half-time interview on Magenta Sport on Wednesday evening, his headphones kept falling out of his ears. For Hopp gesticulated, became very emotional and, as always, spoke his mind.

“The heart bleeds,” the 57-year-old ex-professional said when asked about the Meiderich club’s sporting situation. “It’s already hard, especially when I see it in the first half.” MSV also failed to convince BVB II in the first 45 minutes and deservedly trailed 0:1 at the break. The Zebras were well served with that. In the end, this was the result despite an improvement in performance. It was the fifth defeat in the eighth game, MSV is last in the 3rd league.

Hopp analysed why MSV Duisburg looked so vulnerable in defence. “In central defence we don’t have the fastest players. The goal for BVB came from a deep ball into the top, we are susceptible there. In addition, the concentration on the second ball was not there.”

Hopp, who played 83 Bundesliga games for MSV and had mostly good times in Duisburg in the 90s, was harsh on the team.

In his opinion, MSV did not have enough quality to survive in the 3rd division. He was then asked on Magenta Sport what the club could do in this case to avoid relegation: “Introduce an 8-hour day,” he said with conviction. “If you don’t have the best team, then you have to try to do better by working hard and training. One unit is not enough. We have problems in all parts of the team. It’s only about diligence and training.”

MSV legend Hopp sees a quality problem

Hopp would have the players “turn up at 8 o’clock” and do three training sessions a day. “We had that before.” The players would have to invest more and also think about things off the pitch. “And not open the convertible top,” he noted.

The Duisburg native would like interim coach Engin Vural to turn things around. However, he currently no longer believes in it. “If he also fails against BVB, it will be the second game. Then it will be even more unsettled.”

Hopp did not want to comment specifically on the controversial sporting director Ralf Heskamp. Most recently, there were loud “Heskamp out” shouts. “I think he is making an effort,” Hopp said succinctly. “But I’m not that deep in it to have a say. “