FC St. Pauli

...the performance: "We'd have taken the result beforehand. It was an entertaining, high-octane affair with decent opportunities for both sides. If you take all the chances together, it could have ended 7-3. All in all, it was a superb team performance from my players. In view of the intensity and positive nature of the display, we deserved to win."

…the night after the game: "It was a short one. I didn't get to sleep until just before three. I watched the match back at home. You don't see games like that every day. A local derby so full of emotion is a special moment even for me as a coach, one you don't forget in a hurry."

…his team: "We're in a process of rebuilding and had a lot of young players on the pitch. The mix of youth and experience is gelling more and more. It's great to see things coming together on the pitch. Topping it off with a win in the derby is important for our confidence."

…the key to victory: "We prepared long and hard for the game. We knew we had to stay solid at the back. All the positional changes – sometimes it was Marvin in holding midfield, sometimes it was Finn Ole, sometimes it was Mats – made us unpredictable. We wanted to make Fein and Kittel unsure about which player they had to deal with."

…his central defence: "Leo and James had only trained together for three days yet still performed the way did. They gave us lots of composure and acquitted themselves very well in possession and in their passing play. The lads gave it all they had."

…new targets: "Our targets haven't changed. We're very sober and realistic in the way we see things and that's how it'll stay, so we don't need different targets."

…the significance of the win: "Wins are always good for your confidence but it's a young team and there are no guarantees for the weeks and months to come. We won't always be able to perform to that level. The players are gaining experience and that will be good for achieving stability in the long term. The young lads have the time and patience to really establish themselves as professionals."

…the size of the group in training: "Twenty players have trained, the rest did a recovery run. I need to focus on our next opponents, their formation and the way they approach things. The players who aren't involved in Osnabrück haven't been weeded out, no way. We want to offer them high-intensity sessions and will need them in the weeks to come."

…Henk Veerman, Philipp Ziereis and Luca Zander: "Luca resumed full training on Tuesday. Henk and Ziere are having examinations and if they go well, they'll also be able to train normally again. We look forward to that. They've been out for eight and nine months respectively, so it's difficult to say when they'll be ready to play."

…the derby curse: "We can influence that ourselves. Osnabrück have impressed in their last two home games. They're still on a high after winning promotion and so won't be easy to beat. They'll push us to the limit."

Photo: Witters