New Hamburger SV head coach Mirko Slomka has spoken of his excitement at the "great challenge" he faces to keep the team in the top flight.

Hamburg are currently just one point off the bottom of the Bundesliga table having lost their last seven league matches, prompting the board to replace Bert van Marwijk with Slomka yesterday.

Slomka outlined his intention to build Hamburg back into a formidable force in German football, claiming that they should be regarded as one of the country's top teams.

"When a club like Hamburg calls, then of course you want to get started right away. They're a fantastic club with a great team and competent staff," Slomka told reporters.

"These next weeks and months are going to be intense, but that's precisely what I became a coach for. Hamburg should be one of the top five clubs in the country. This is a great challenge.

"Only a few minor tweaks are required to get us back to being successful. I have faith in the team. The players have quality which we've got to tease out of them."

Slomka has a track record of turning struggling teams around, having saved Hannover from relegation in 2009-10 before leading them to a fourth-placed finish the following season.