FC St. Pauli

Philipp Treu on…

...Ben Voll, who will stand in for the suspended Nikola Vasilj at Frankfurt: “He’s more of a quiet guy but he always gives his all, especially in the gym. He always arrives early and leaves late. I like guys like that. He showed just how important and how good he is in pre-season. I played against him in the third division and I know what he can do. Ben is incredibly good on the line. When he does the “Ben splits” in one against ones it’s incredibly difficult to get the ball past him. He radiates calmness on the ball and is precise in his passing. I’m sure he’ll do a good job on Sunday.”

...his personal development and excellent stamina and sprint values: “I’m full of running. That’s a big strength in my style of play and a quality that’s in high demand if you’re a wing-back. I always try to go flat out and I think I’ve made very good progress here. I came from the third division and made a conscious decision not to leapfrog the second. I’m accompanying the club on its journey. You can see how stable we’ve become as a team. We had to shake ourselves down after the first three Bundesliga games, but we accepted the challenge and so did I. It’s all about gaining in maturity and I think we’ve made a good job of it, not just me but the whole team.”

Philipp Treu (right) put in an excellent performance against VfB Stuttgart, winning 75 per cent of his duels.

...the tough ask against Eintracht: “We’ve shown how well we’ve come on in the last four or five matches. We make things really difficult for our opponents. We have to keep going like that and then we’ll make things difficult for every team we play. We showed that at Bayern Munich, so why not at Frankfurt as well?”

...opponents Frankfurt and the atmosphere: “They’ve had an amazing season. They have an excellent mix of young talent and incredible quality. Up front they have players with lots of pace. I’m looking forward to locking horns with good opponents. We want to match them in the duels and we showed we can hold our own in the first game. I’m looking forward to the stadium, there’s always a good atmosphere at Frankfurt.”

...the opportunity to secure the club’s Bundesliga status at the weekend – both on and off the pitch: “We want to do it under our own steam, preferably this weekend. We’re in a good position that we’ve worked hard for this season. We have another match point at Frankfurt and we want to convert it. We aren’t giving it too much thought or putting ourselves under pressure, though. We mustn’t tense up too much and we’re allowed to enjoy it as well. A good mix is good. We know we need a point, and three would be even better, and we’ll do our outmost to get a result.”

...his personal targets: “My main objective for the next few years is to establish myself as a Bundesliga player. St. Pauli have only ever stayed in the Bundesliga for a very short time. We want the club to establish itself in the Bundesliga long term. In the short term, the aim is to stay up. That’s the only thing on my mind at the moment and I’m giving it all I’ve got. I haven’t planned to go on holiday yet. Staying up is the sole focus. Only once that’s done will I start thinking about other things.”

Photos: Witters