FC St. Pauli

...his overall impression of the training camp: “We have to stay cool. All in all, I think it was a good training camp. We pushed a lot of things forward and performed well in the first two games. The lads really pulled their weight.”

...the Karlsruhe game: “The players were on the limit and a bit tired after some exacting days, but we aspire to something different, of course, and a defeat like that still hurts. We did take a lot from the game about the areas we still need to work on, though. Our pressing of the ball wasn’t as structured as it needs to be, for example. We experimented a lot in positional terms as well.”

...the personnel situation: “Jan-Philipp Kalla has a niggling problem with his pubic bone and might need some more time, as does Marc Hornschuh. Otherwise, I expect to have everyone back for the start of the season. Mats Møller Dæhli trained up to a certain point yesterday, while Jeremy Dudziak is on the verge of a return and is easing his way back into full training. We’re also in contact with Dimitrios Diamantakos. He feels good and hopes to be back in training on Sunday. It could be the case that he’s available against Stoke.”

...the surroundings in Maria Alm: “It was all very positive and professional. The lodges, the atmosphere, the great food and the enormous passion of the Maria Alm staff – I find it all very inspiring. It will bring us closer together as a group. The training ground was in good nick as well.”

...the focus in training for the coming weeks: “We’ll be working on our set pieces and another focus will be our work off the ball in learning how to press the opposition better. The emphasis will be on short, high-intensity sessions to make sure we have the sharpness we need.”

...the competition in the squad: “It’s a very tight race overall. The lads are really close together performance-wise and there were a lot of good individual displays. I think a lot can happen in the final push as far as the starting lineup is concerned. There’s good competition in a lot of positions.”

...new signing Marvin Knoll: “I think the position between defence and midfield suits him. He’s settled in very well as an established player who’s there right away. Marvin lives off his passion and his emotion, but he’s also a very good footballer with a lot of quality. He’s played in central defence for many years but has also been used in midfield. Marvin is a fiery player who’s up for change and takes on responsibility for his teammates. This combination of fighter and quality player is doing us good.”

...more new signings: “We’re agreed we want to do something in attack, so we’re keeping our eyes open and holding talks. As for other positions, maybe things have changed slightly after training camp. We were on the lookout in midfield but have now found someone who could play there in Marvin Knoll. In Florian Carstens and Brian Koglin, we also have two young players who have shown they can grow into the role. That’s our job, fostering and developing young players. We have a big squad and we’ll only do something if it’s clear the player will be of help to us straightaway.”

...the new season: “I think we’re well set overall and have lots of potential. The decisive thing for us has always been that the players are fit and healthy. If lads who often struggle with injury can play six, seven, eight games in a row, they’re like new signings for us.”

...the goalkeeper question: “I’ve always said it’s open-ended. We’ll consult goalkeeper coach Matthias Hain so as to be able to respond to developments. The decision will definitely be taken before the game against Stoke City. Whoever plays in goal against Stoke will go into the season as our No1.”

...Sami Allagui: “Sami has set the bar high and is now trying to get there. I think he’s learned what makes St. Pauli tick and what it means to play here. We hope he’ll keep it up and show the same application against stronger opposition. He’s a good, experienced player, we know that.”

...Cenk Sahin: “Cenk keeps suffering injury setbacks and isn’t back to one hundred per cent yet. We want to nurture his strength on the ball and his goal threat.”

Photos: Witters