FC St. Pauli

Head coach Fabian Hürzeler: “I see the game from two angles. On the one hand, I see the progress we’ve made, especially when it comes to finding solutions against a team who man-marked us all over the field. In Andreas Albers, we had a target man who did exactly what we signed him for. He held the ball up and laid it off and had a presence in the box as well. We had a very good mix of playing the ball out from the back and knocking it long. In the second half we came up with good solutions with the ball and created lots of pressure. We had a man over all the time but unfortunately couldn’t get the goal. That’s how it is sometimes, but we’ll keep going. The second angle is to do with our defensive stability. We were very good today and didn’t allow a single shot on goal before the break. In the second half we went out looking to score and obviously left gaps at times, but we were very disciplined and solid at the back. That will always remain the foundation. All in all, I’m happy with the performance. We know what we have to work on.”

Jackson Irvine: “The performances deserve more. I can’t find any fault with the team, we’re all going to the limit, it’s just the final piece of the puzzle that’s missing. We have the quality in the squad and I’m sure the goals will come if we keep going and keep believing in ourselves. Magdeburg have shown what a good side they are early in the season, especially in the final third. In the worst case, they might have taken one of the few chances they had, and we’d have lost the game. Football’s like that sometimes. For us it’s about getting the ball over the line and opening the floodgates. We believe in our strengths and in the process. We’ve performed consistently well over the last nine months and dominated the game again today. The frustration is tangible, and I understand that. Everyone’s giving their all. On the pitch. In the stands. You can see how we work until the last minute and try to win the game. We have a short time to recover now before we go again at Braunschweig on Friday, when we have another chance to put things right. People can be disappointed because we should have won, but we go on and will stick to what we’re doing. We don’t need a striker, we need a goal. I need a goal. We’re doing everything right. The belief is there, and I just know the goal will come."

Andreas Albers: “We went flat out in the second half and created lots of really good opportunities and should have scored three or four. We didn’t have so many chances in the last few games. Today we did and we didn’t put them away, which is obviously frustrating, but we’ll keep going and what we’ll take from the game is that we want to play exactly the way we did in the second half. A goal was the only thing missing. I’m convinced everyone on the pitch did their best to get the goal, and sometimes you need a bit of luck. I feel more comfortable on the pitch and am adapting to the style of play more and more. We changed the patterns at half-time, which suited me. I had the chances and should have scored. I was unlucky when I hit the post, of course, but it was another step in the right direction today. In Elias and Dapo, we have players on the flanks who can hit outstanding crosses, which means we’re not just a threat from set pieces. The only thing missing was a goal. We haven’t lost again, of course, and we kept another clean sheet. That in itself is good. A win against Braunschweig isn’t a must, but we can’t keep drawing. We have to take more risks and be bolder up front. Then we’ll have bigger, more dangerous chances.“

Photos: FC St. Pauli/Witters