FC St. Pauli

Philipp Treu on…

…the progress made since the Lyon game: "We've made good use of the two weeks with lots of new things in training. How we work off the ball has slowly sunk in, which is very important for the coach. We're now fine-tuning our play on the ball and rehearsing our patterns bit by bit, and we can intensify that in the video sessions as well. We're on the right track."

…his fitness after the serious injury: "It's going really well. I don't notice the plate above my ankle. I'm carrying on where I left off. Mentally, my head is free going into the tackle. On the ball you can lift your game from match to match. I know I'm not on the level where I left off yet, but tidiness comes from match fitness, and I'm getting that in every training session. I think I'm on the right track."

…the summer break: "I made good use of the time here when the others were on their summer break. The injury didn't throw me off course, on the contrary. I wanted to come back stronger for the Bundesliga. Physically, I'm a touch stronger than last year."

…pre-season: "Hard training is always a part of pre-season preparations. You want to be the fittest team. Who had the most strenuous pre-season is decided in the 70^th minute of a league game. These sessions are essential for your fitness to be able to settle games late on. That's paramount. But I'm more a person you have to slow down. I love coming to the training ground. You're always up for it when you see the lads."

…his new leadership role on the players' committee: "It's an honour to be a part of the 'leader squad', but in principle not much has changed for me. The lads told me straight out that I'm someone who always leads from the front. I come in every day wanting to improve, and I try to take everyone with me in training and be there for the group."

…the Bundesliga: "An absolute challenge for all of us. I think what's happening now is very exciting. Some opponents will be of a different calibre to those in the second division. We played some dominant football last year, and that will change to a certain extent. We all know we'll suffer occasionally. For us as a team it will then be about throwing everything at it and holding our own. And going into a challenge with Leroy Sané will be awesome."

…the forthcoming game against Atalanta Bergamo: "I'm really looking forward to it! I watched the Europa League final against Leverkusen. I know the kind of aggressive football Atalanta play and I want to give as good as I get with the rest of the team. We want to show ourselves at home against quality opposition, make full use of the opportunity to find out where we stand and take the fans with us into the new season."

Photos: FC St. Pauli