Egyptian forward Mohamed Zidan could be the solution for Hamburg's insufficient amount of goals as the German Bundesliga approaches its final stages. Hamburg coach Huub Stevens relied on Ivica Olic and Paulo Guerrero upfront, with the support of Dutch playmaker Rafael van der Vaart. But goals never got flowing for Hamburg as many have expected. Despite their position in third place of the Bundesliga table, Hamburg scored just 37 goals until the first week of April. Bochum, who lie 12th in the table, scored more goals than them. Shortage of goals was obvious in Hamburg's 1-0 away defeat to Stuttgart where the visitors created numerous chances but failed to deliver. "One thing is for sure, that we created enough chances. So we could have drawn or even won the game," skipper Van der Vaart said after the game. Stevens was also disappointed with Hamburg's lack of cutting edge against the Bundesliga holders. "My lads battled away until the final whistle, so their character was intact. Considering the chances we created we really should have scored." Zidan Role? Many have expected that Zidan will be given more playing time with Hamburg after excelling in Egypt's 2008 African Cup of Nations triumphant campaign.
Zidan excelled in Ghana The 26-year-old notched a brace in Egypt's 4-2 victory over Cameroon in the tournament's opener. He also set-up playmaker Mohamed Abou-Treika for two decisive strikes against Ivory Coast and Cameroon in the latter stages. Nevertheless, Stevens did not give the former Mainz forward a fair chance to demonstrate his abilities. But Zidan may play a crucial role in Hamburg's tussle with Werder Bremen, Schalke and Stuttgart to acquire a UEFA Champions League spot. Croatian striker Olic is set to miss out on Hamburg's upcoming two games due to injury, so Stevens will probably field Zidan along with Guerrero and Van der Vaart. Even if Zidan fails to get much playing time in the remaining matches of the season, he is expected to be an integral part of Hamburg's squad next term. Hamburg star Van der Vaart is tipped to depart the club and move to either Spain or Italy, according to numerous reports around the European continent. Czech midfielder David Jarolim may also move on, German reports said. Furthermore, Dutch coach Stevens, whom Zidan doesn't enjoy the best of relationships with, has been linked with a move to PSV Eindhoven in the summer. Former Egypt defender and current ENPPI assistant coach Hani Ramzi, who has plenty of experience in German football, advised Zidan to be patient. "He has to be patient. Stability will lead to success," he told FilGoal.com recently.
