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Hamburg coach Joe Zinnbauer has said Rafael van der Vaart's style of play is not suited to the relegation battle but backed his club captain to make an important contribution before the end of the season. Hamburg, who have never been relegated from the Bundesliga, are again facing a battle for survival this season and find themselves just two points above the relegation zone after failing to win any of their last five games. Van der Vaart, who returned to HSV from Tottenham amid much fanfare in 2012, has been able to do little to help their case, having struggled to produce his best form for the German club over the last couple of seasons. As a result, the former Ajax and Real Madrid midfielder has spent just 20 minutes on the pitch over the last four games, and he is widely expected to leave the club -- potentially for MLS side Sporting Kansas City -- when his contract expires at the end of the season. Asked about the Netherlands international's struggles, Zinnbauer told the Hamburger Morgenpost: "I feel really sorry for Rafa. "He is a victim of our situation. The relegation battle does not fit his style of play, because we need to keep the spaces narrow." Nonetheless, Zinnbauer said the 32-year-old had impressed him in training and believes he still has something to offer the club this season. "I just know that Rafa will win us a big point," the coach said. Meanwhile, former Hamburg coach Mirko Slomka, who was sacked only three games into the season, has admitted that he should have seen the end coming. Slomka helped Hamburg maintain their Bundesliga status last term in a dramatic promotion/relegation playoff against Greuther Furth, in which Van der Vaart played all but the final 15 minutes of the two-legged tie. Slomka told NDR Sportclub that he "should have stepped down" after the dismissal of former sporting director Oliver Kreuzer in July, saying that was "fighting alone" afterwards.
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