FC St. Pauli

Timo Schultz on…

…a stand-in for Daniel-Kofi Kyereh: "Lukas Daschner and Christopher Buchtmann are very different types of player. Buchti is tenacious in the tackle and has a great finish with his left foot. That's his biggest weapon. Daschi is constantly on the move and has ideas in one-on-ones. He might not have played for three of four months but he's looked very good in training. He also pressed the ball very well in the friendly. And Buchti got a goal, of course, which is always a good argument."

…the position alongside Burgstaller in attack: "It's a close race for the spot alongside Guido, who's an automatic first choice, but in Maximilian Dittgen, Igor Matanović, Etienne Amenyido and Simon Makienok I'm glad to have so many lads in contention. We'll need them all. And if they don't start, they can still make an impact from the bench."

…the focus on defence in training: "We kept a clean sheet in the friendly against Beerschot and gave very little away. That indicates that our defensive patterns were largely OK. We varied the way we attack the ball slightly to give us a bit more flexibility and allow us to react to different opponents. I did see some things that didn't work so well, however."

Timo Schultz ran the rule over all his players in the friendly against Beerschot.

…possible winter signings: "We'll only do something if we're convinced the player will integrate into the group and improve us in the short to medium term. We have a very balanced squad with alternatives in every position."

…the chemistry in the team: "Everyone sits down with everyone else and they all do things together. Lads who might not have too much to do with each other otherwise will stay behind longer in the gym together or out on the pitch. Wins, success on the pitch and high-intensity training sessions are always the best form of team building. That said, we've been using the time to reconnect as a group."

…the remaining preparations for Aue: "We'll train properly on Tuesday and then prepare especially for Aue on Thursday and Friday, though the focus as always will be first and foremost on our own game."

…his contract extension: "The word 'soon' sums it up very well. I think Andreas Bornemann and I are a lot more relaxed about it than many others who are involved. It's been clear to us for months that things will continue. We've had plenty of time to discuss lots of topics, and money and get-out clauses were the least of our concerns. How am I meant to convince a player of our project if I have a get-out clause myself? For me it's out of the question."

…the Marvin Knoll transfer: "I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Knolli once again. Last year won't have been easy for him. He conducted himself incredibly professionally. He stayed positive all the time, urged the lads on and never let his head drop in training. He deserves the greatest respect. I take my hat off to him for the way he kept motivating himself in training. I wish him only the best!"

Photos: Witters