FC St. Pauli

Alexander Blessin on…

…the mood after the draw with Leipzig: "The performance gives us confidence, but we aren't dancing on the table because of it. The lads know what to make of it. None of us was totally satisfied because we could have come away with more. It gives you another level of confidence when you take something tangible from a game. We won't give a single percentage point less or yield an inch – whether we're at home or away. That's exactly the intensity we need in every challenge. We've learned from the Augsburg game and the performance against Leipzig shows we can hold our own. We have to confirm that now."

…the injury situation: "We'll have to wait and see how Morgan Guilavogui is. He might be ready right on time. We withdrew Eric Smith early from training yesterday as a precautionary measure. He trained in full today, though, and isn't in any pain. Robert Wagner was given new antibiotics, which have worked very well, but he still needs time. He's training on his own at the moment and will hook up with the team again early next week."

…the impressive performances of Elias Saad and Oladapo Afolayan against Leipzig: "For me it's important that everyone understands how important defensive stability is in the way we play football. Not only did they make their presence felt in attack, they also tracked back to close down the space and win possession. No matter what system we operate, it's a question of intensity and aggression and making it as difficult as possible for our opponents to find space. We want our opponents to feel stressed throughout."

…Carlo Boukhalfa's impressive form: "He trained well in pre-season and put in good performances. That simply has to be rewarded. He's improved steadily and done everything we've asked him to. I'm glad he's taken this step. He's now down to him to consolidate his performances and avoid resting on his laurels."

…Jackson Irvine's double pivot role against Leipzig: "If you don't play as the sole holding midfielder very often, you act more reservedly and secure the position. Against Leipzig I saw him goal-threatening areas three or four times. He has the lungs of a horse and the runs he makes in deep are extremely important. Actions like his second header are exactly what we want to see from him. This quality comes into play in the double pivot."

…SC Freiburg and their style of play: "After the departure of Christian Streich no one really knew what Julian Schuster would keep on and what he would change. Their start speaks for itself. They've taken nine points from four matches. In the 2-0 defeat against Bayern they matched them for long periods and Bayern were made to struggle. They have a lot of pace in the team and experienced players. All in all it's a good mix. In pressing terms I'm expecting a different game than the one against Leipzig, who were ball-oriented. Freiburg have a more man-on-man setup. They have lots of quality and pace in attack. We need to careful there, especially in transition."

Photos: FC St. Pauli/Witters