FC St. Pauli

Fabian Hürzeler on…

...the mood after the Düsseldorf game: “The mood wasn’t the best, but I experienced a very different group of players today. I’ve got to know them now and I know they’re extremely strong characters, which is why they know there’s a lot we can win.”

...possible changes to the side: “The players will play who’ve earned it or I feel are a good fit for the opposition. The team who played against Düsseldorf did a reasonable to good job, especially in the first half. We’ll have a close look at it in training during the week and then decide. It’s about getting the maximum possible, which is why the best team will play.”

...the slim chance of promotion and the expectations for the last two games: “As long as there’s a chance, no matter how small it is, we want to take it. We don’t to be talking about regretting something in summer, so we’ll try and get the maximum return. I keep saying it’s about the process. We have seven training sessions left until the end of the season. That’s 630 minutes when the lads will be on the training ground. The players can improve with every touch of the ball in every session. That has to be our aspiration and I’ve made that clear to the players. Their aspiration has to be to want to improve, and they can also take another step forward as a team. There’s definitely something in it for us in the next two weeks. That has to be our aspiration, regardless of what the future of any individual player looks like.”

...opponents Holstein Kiel: “They’re a very good footballing side who try to play football even when they’re under pressure. They won their last home game and will want to give their fans one more win, so it’ll be important for us to give a professional account of ourselves the way we have done in recent games. We have to give as good as we get in terms of their footballing strength and their individual quality.”

...the influence the possibility of players leaving has on his job: “I definitely haven’t noticed any bad mood. The players have been told in transparent and open terms what the future looks like and how things will continue. Being open and honest with them is the biggest respect I can show them. I also demand of them that they come and talk to me if they’re not happy because they aren’t playing and that’s what they do. We have an honest and open exchange of views, which means there are no misunderstandings. The mood isn’t affected at all by the decisions that are taken.”

...the last away game of the season: “We want to finish on a positive note away from home, so it’s important for us to prepare as best we can. We can’t go to Kiel with 99 per cent, it definitely won’t be enough. We want to approach the game with maximum desire and maximum professionalism. We have to be compact and defend well. We want to carry on where we left off against Düsseldorf, just with the addition of a goal.”

...the chance to set a new record of 43 points for a second half of the season in the second division: “I’m not a fan of records and runs. I’ll be glad if we can continue our development and make progress. We’ll wait and see what we get at the end of the day. We want to get the maximum points haul, of course, and if it’s 43 points that’s nice.”

Photos: FC St. Pauli