FC St. Pauli

…the physical condition of his team: "I can't give any specific information about individual players just yet. We did have a few problems in the second half, though. It was a high-intensity game and the players managed to run a total of 117 kilometres. That's the level we need to attain to be successful in the long run."

…the outcome of the game: "It's obviously very disappointing when you concede in the 90^th minute but we came under too much pressure to be able to go in search of a second goal ourselves. We're on the right track, though, and the players gave it all they had. We aren't where we want to be yet – it's going to be a long process – but all in all we can look back on the game and see lots of positives."

…the performance of Christian Conteh: "I'm happy for him as a coach and as a person. It felt like he sprinted 80 or 90 metres before going on to finish in the manner of an experienced player. It comes as no surprise to me, though. He had two identical situations during the warm-up game at Heerenveen. What he mustn't do now is sit back and relax. He can enjoy it today, but the serious business starts again tomorrow."

…the near-introduction of Under-19 striker Serkan Dursun: "It was a misunderstanding. I thought Dimitrios [Diamantakos] was unable to continue but he actually meant Mats. If Dimi had been unable to carry on, Serkan would have come on. We lost Tashchy to injury and suddenly he was there. I like looking for internal solutions. The door's open for everyone at St. Pauli, whether you play for the first team, the Under-23s or the Under-19s. Everyone gets a chance on merit. Niklas Hoffmann playing is a good example of that."

…the unused Christopher Buchtmann: "I spoke to Christopher about the reasons and told him he could be incredibly important for us. When I arrived, he played one-and-a-half games and was injured then for four weeks. He's back now and has to work hard to get back to the level he's capable of. I mean that in a positive way. He's on the right track and can be an option again on Friday. No one's a long way off."

Photo: Witters