FC St. Pauli

...the conditions in Oliva Nova:
"It really was perfect. The hotel, the training ground, the way we were looked after, and the weather were just right. We've already said we could see ourselves coming back again next year."

...an almost injury-free training camp:
"It's always a shame when a player gets injured like Philipp Ziereis did. We'll have to wait and see how bad it is. Otherwise we've come out of it very well with just a few minor injuries. Luca Zander had to go off against Wehen Wiesbaden and we rested Yiyoung Park and Mats Møller Dæhli. They could have played but we didn't want to take any risks."

...the playing system:
"We haven't gelled or found the right mix yet and I still don't have an answer to the question of whether we play with two strikers or one playmaker. There was nothing that was so perfect that I could say 'that's it'."

...the competition for places:
"The lads have pulled closer together and they all went flat out. I can't say a player has overtaken all the others and risen like a phoenix from the ashes, though you can't expect that to happen within a week either."

...positive surprises:
"Marc Hornschuh was a positive surprise. He did well, both in central defence and on the right. I'm only starting to get to know him again now after his long injury layoff. It'll still be a while before he's challenging for a place again."

...new signing Alex Meier, who scored in both warm-up games:
"He's dangerous in front of goal. He's already proved that and it's what we were hoping for. Alex has done a good job here. He showed no signs of weakness and came through everything we did. After 18 months out, he coped well with the intensity. Overall, we're very happy how he's conducted himself and integrated in the squad. It's absolutely exemplary."

...the young talent in the squad and their chances of playing:
"I've shown I don't care what a player has done before and I'm sticking to that. Anything is possible anytime, as we saw with Florian Carstens. He forced his way through even though we had five central defenders."

...possible impact of the open contract situations of some players:
"No one knows what's in store for them, they're all thinking about things. They all want to stake a claim – no matter what for. It'll be an incentive to show us and other clubs what they can do. We're in the fortunate position of having a big squad. I really think I can rely on the lads and they see a chance of playing a good season, so from that point of view my approach is positive."

...possible new signings:
"That's not an issue at the moment. We're in the fortunate position of having lots of good lads. We could do something but don't have to. We'll have to wait and see how Philipp Ziereis is but we don't have to do anything there either. We have Marvin Knoll and Florian Carstens, plus Marc Hornschuh and Jan-Philipp Kalla. We're well placed in that position."

Photos: Witters