FC St. Pauli

Timo Schultz on…

...the injury situation: "We have almost everybody back now, though that doesn’t mean they’re available to play. Guido Burgstaller has been out for a while and only resumed full training just before Christmas. Philipp Ziereis has done two sessions, and Christopher Buchtmann and Jannes Wieckhoff are able to take part in some of them. On the one hand, that’s positive, but on the other most of them won’t be able to help out in January because they have no match practice at all. You can’t expect them to go from nought to sixty right away. James Lawrence is ruled out after coming out of the Aue game with a serious calf problem. Sebastian Ohlsson and Maximilian Dittgen both suffered blows to the knee but are available."

…a possible start for new recruit Adam Dźwigała: "In James Lawrence and Philipp Ziereis, we have two players who aren’t 100 per cent. Adam is fit and has done very well in training. We might throw him in at the deep end, but then again we might give him the time to get used to life in Bundesliga 2. We didn’t sign him to sit on the bench for the rest of the season, though. I have no problem picking him because he’s made more than 100 appearances in the top flight in Poland and also played in top division in Portugal."

...the decision between the posts: "I said going into the winter that we’d monitor the performances in training and in the league very closely. Svend did well in the two games he’s played and is very stable in training, so he has his nose in front at the moment."

...his analysis of the season so far: "We’ve had a look at what we need to change and how I can get the best out of the team. Looking at the goals we’ve conceded, it’s noticeable that teams haven’t played their way through us very often when we’ve been solid at the back, it’s when we lose possession and lose our shape in transition. We’ve lacked cover and often the impulse to go straight in to rescue the situation. We’ve been practising that, and I assume it’ll get better in 2021."

...possible new signings: "We’ve looked at where we’re well placed and where players are set to return. If we can strengthen the squad, no matter what position, we will do so. If we do, that player will have to fit straight in and be able to deal with the situation. Ideally, he’d be able to play a leadership role and make us better. We keep our eyes open in every transfer period, but we’re also well placed with the squad we have."

...Greuther Fürth: "They’re a team who’ve gelled together over the last three or four years and in Sebastian Ernst, Paul Seguin, Hans Nunoo Sarpei and Anton Stach have players with experience of playing in the second division. They’re a young, promising side and are benefitting from continuity in the playing staff. For me, Fürth are a team who’ll finish in the top three."

...the packed January schedule: "We have seven games so will have to rotate a little in view of the workload. The fixture list also plays a role when it comes to deciding which players can help us the most against which team."

Photos: Witters