FC St. Pauli

Luca Zander on...

…his brace at Aue: "When a set piece works so well the first time, it's at the back of your mind when a similar situation arises during the game. I told myself it could come off a second time if I timed it right and the ball was put in so well again, so I was thinking I could do it again when I scored the second. You could tell by my reaction that I was happy and yet surprised at the same time."

…the reaction to his two goals: "I didn't just score my first goal, I followed up with the second straightaway. It was mind-blowing how many people wrote to me. It was as if everyone who's ever told me I never score in the last few years got in touch, as well as loads of friends and St. Pauli fans, who were really happy for me, of course."

...the huge competition for places with so few injuries: "I'm always happy to be out on the training ground with all the lads. I know what it's like when you're injured. I want everyone in the squad to be healthy and stay healthy. I'm glad the situation is how it is at the moment and we're all able to train together. It beefs up the battle for places when so many players are at training. You notice people getting stuck in a bit more here and there, but that's good and makes us better. The focus is on the team. Everyone goes flat out and wants to play at the weekend."

...his own ambitions and the contest with Sebastian Ohlsson for the right-back slot: "I'm not the kind of person who makes a plan of how many appearances he wants to make and where he wants to be in three months. You always want to play, but the most important thing for me is that we perform as a team, like we are at the moment. Sebastian and I are open in the way we do things, and he was one of the first to write and congratulate me on my two goals. It's a battle for places that makes both of us better. We can only benefit from it. If the other guy plays, it's up to you to go full throttle and put yourself in the frame again. That's my plan for the coming period. I aim to go all out to make it as difficult as possible for the coach to make a decision and hopefully get as much playing time as I can."

…a possible drop in intensity now the threat of relegation has just about dissipated: "Our focus before the season started was on improving as a team. That's still in our heads and is stuck there. Everyone wants to develop; everyone wants to show what they can do. It's going really well at the moment. In recent games you've seen that we always have 11 players on the pitch who are determined to win and progress. No one's thinking about letting up. We have a good performance culture in the squad, everyone is pushing – from the first player to the 30^th. That's the key to things going so well at the moment."

Photos: Witters