FC St. Pauli

Fabian Hürzeler on…

...the competition for places and possible changes to the team: “We’ll see on Saturday whether there are any changes. The important thing during the international break was to bring players into contention and close the gap and we definitely did that. Everyone got their minutes against Bremen. It was also important for everyone to come out of the friendly unscathed. Now we really do have every player fit and available to play. I’m spoilt for choice when it comes to deciding who runs out at Paderborn and who’s in the squad. It’s nice to see everyone ready and in good shape and in a position to intensify the battle for places.”

...opponents Paderborn: “They’re an excellent footballing side who are able to make the pitch very wide and deep. They have a good mix and balance in the team. They take up good positions, which allows them to open up the space, and they make good use of it. They have clear patterns, and you can see a clear idea. It’s going to be a big challenge, as we experienced in the second half of last season. When they get going and you give them too much space, they play excellent football and resolve individual duels very well. We have to prepare very well and go into the challenges with maximum intensity. Every game, especially the one at Paderborn, can go either way. It’ll be important to have momentum in our play, work very well off the ball and stay solid to ensure we can hold our own against them.”

...the increasing praise from other coaches: “People prefer to hear praise than criticism, that’s the way they are. Nevertheless, I’m someone who doesn’t let it get too near him. It’s important we go our own way and stick to our process. It’s still early in the season and we haven’t achieved anything yet, even though we’ve been playing very well. We don’t get anything for being top of the table, things are only decided after 34 matches have been played. We have to get consistency in our performances and still be playing decent football on matchday 25 or 26.”

...the potential effect on performances of his and other contracts expiring: “That’s having no effect whatsoever at the moment. I’m in close communication with Andreas Bornemann and the board with regard to how I see things. In that respect I can say in all clarity that I’m focused solely on FC St. Pauli. The club know my inner convictions very well. When I have these inner convictions, I don’t need any persuading because I want to continue along this path. It’s important for us to know what we want and what our next steps together are. We’re having a very open and transparent conversation in that respect and that’s what I appreciate about Andreas and the board. That’s why there’s no effect on performances or anything else. Everyone knows exactly what they have in the others and we’re all quite clear on how things should continue. I also demand the same from the players I exchange views with. We started our journey together and it’s now about continuing the journey together and achieving more consistency. All the players feel very comfortable here at FC St. Pauli and know what they have in the club. It should always be a privilege to work and play for St. Pauli. Nothing comes above that. I won’t let anything put the success of the club at risk. The success of the club has the highest priority, and everyone should and will conduct themselves accordingly.”

Photos: Witters