FC St. Pauli

Fabian Hürzeler on…

...the week training in Mallorca: "The conditions have been superb and we've been able to train very well, which is why we came here. The players have all been very motivated and pulled their weight. We've had a real feeling of togetherness and can draw a positive conclusion. We also took some time out to review things. We analysed what's been good in recent weeks and what we want to look at for the next few weeks."

...the injury situation: "All the lads have come through the week well and taken part in the sessions, including Simon Zoller, who's back in full training, so I'm spoilt for choice as far as the squad is concerned. That's what I want because we need competition for places. We have even more depth in the squad now and that will take us forward. The players have the opportunity to stake a claim in training and show what they can do."

...the mood in the camp after the 1-0 defeat at Magdeburg: "Losing is a part of football. The important thing is what you make of it. We've tried to eke out what was good and what was bad. We played a team who were better than us in the key moments. We have to accept that. For me it's important to find even better solutions, prepare the team even more thoroughly, and question whether we were unable to send out a certain message clearly enough in the week of training before the game."

...Nikola Vasilj and his mistake at Magdeburg: "Mistakes are part and parcel of the game, as I keep emphasising. It's our way of playing football and it's served us very well this season. We accept mistakes are going to be made. The task is obviously to keep the mistakes to a minimum. We're trying to work on things with even more clarity to allow Niko to find even better solutions. He's very stable and has a very confident and clear character. I'm not worried about him at all."

...Eintracht Braunschweig: "They're very good opposition and one of the best teams in the second division at the moment. They have a very good blend of defensive solidity and good transition phases on winning possession. They're a team made for the second division, as you can see from their results now. They've made very positive and impressive progress under Daniel Scherning."

...the game plan: "We need to find solutions against their compactness. We need to go deep and take up good positions in the pockets. You also need a good balance because Braunschweig can transition quickly if you give the ball away cheaply in those spaces. Patience is important. Games like these aren't decided in the first minute. By spreading the play we can open up the space and tempt them out of their compactness, and then it'll be about finding the right moment to play a vertical ball. It's going to be another big challenge for us and also a new one because Eintracht operate in a formation we haven't come across too often this season."

Photos: Witters