FC St. Pauli

...the mood after the opening-day defeat: "We were disappointed, of course. But we’re already over it now. We’re back on the training pitch, have analysed things from Sunday and now on Friday we move on. There are still some things we need to learn, but we’re taking the good points with us from our performance against Heidenheim and are preparing for the game in Berlin."

...the biggest lesson from the game against Heidenheim: "Efficiency. That’s one of the biggest things that we’ve taken from the game. We need to be efficient. We need to utilise our opportunities better at both ends of the pitch. Our opponents are going to be efficient too, if we give them chances."

...the game at Union Berlin: "For Union it’s the first home game of the season. The atmosphere will be great. They play with high intensity and are one of the best teams in the league. They’ve got pace and above all quality whenever they spread the play. They’re also very compact in midfield. An example for how we want to play as a team. I’m expecting a high level of intensity and lots of duels in the middle of the park. It's going to be a game, where it won’t be easy to create chances. For us it’s going to depend on getting everything we can from our forays in the final third. We need to be intelligent and less naive."

...his contract extension: "The relationship that I’ve had with the club, the fans and the community over the last few years is very special. On both sides, it felt like the right moment to show what it means to us. An opportunity to signal that we want to continue this work together. The relationship has naturally grown over time and we want to carry that on."

...his first contact with FCSP during his time at Celtic: "I lived at that time with a couple of other players. One of the guys made his debut in the game against St. Pauli. I was on the bench. I recall the relationship with the fans, the culture and the connection between Celtic, which still has a big place in my heart, and FC St. Pauli. It's funny that things have come full circle in this way and that in this phase of my career I’m now here."

...his approach in the Bundesliga and his captain’s role: "I’m simply staying the same. I’m happy enough to be playing football professionally. My aim was always to get to the top level with St. Pauli. We’ve now got here. I’m simply one part of a special group of players and we want to be as competitive as possible in the Bundesliga. My job as captain has not changed much. Yes, I’m the captain, but we’ve got a fantastic group of leaders in the team. That group needs little motivation, so they make my job easy."

Photos: FC St. Pauli / Witters