Our next opponents: St. Pauli solid at the back but room for improvement up front

Position

It had been a long time coming and was a huge relief among the team, staff and supporters as St. Pauli finally got a goal and a win at home this season when they beat Holstein Kiel 3-1 last weekend. The Hamburg club had previously failed to score in any of their first five home fixtures following their Bundesliga return. Defender Manolis Saliakas finally ended that run after 25 minutes of their encounter with fellow promoted side Kiel – the first time in over 13 years that ‘Song 2’ by Blur was played to mark a goal in the Bundesliga.

Goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj also played a big part in the win, saving a penalty from Jann-Fiete Arp shortly before half-time. “The penalty save was probably the most important moment in the game,” said captain Jackson Irvine after the match. “If that goes in, we go into the changing room and the second half with a very different feeling,” the Australian added. Morgan Guilavogui added a second not long after the restart. It was a second assist of the evening for Johannes Eggestein, who then got a goal of his own to make it 3-0 with five minutes to go. Phil Harres got a consolation for Kiel late on.

Talking after finally getting a win at home, St. Pauli coach Alexander Blessin said, “We’re obviously delighted. I’m looking forward to not having to answer any more questions at the next press conference about when we’ll get out first win at home. The momentum was with us, with the goal when the ball bounced in off the post. We’ve had to work for that luck in recent weeks. Great credit to the team.” Blessin’s side had put in some good performances previously in the league and cup, holding RB Leipzig to a goalless draw, and winning 3-0 in Freiburg and 2-0 at Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga. They also put in battling displays in the 2-1 loss at Borussia Dortmund, the 1-0 defeat at home to Bayern Munich and the 4-2 loss to Leipzig that meant second-round elimination in the DFB Pokal. The Kiezkicker currently sit 15th in the Bundesliga with a six-point cushion over the automatic relegation spots.

Personnel

Elias Saad tops the club charts with two goals and two assists but has been out of action in recent weeks with an ankle injury. The winger will also miss the rest of this year. There’s a doubt over whether centre-back Karol Mets will return, after patella tendon issues kept the Estonia captain out of the last two matches. “We need to take things one day at a time with Karol and see how things progress,” said sporting director Andreas Bornemann. David Nemeth has been covering for Mets, with the 23-year-old doing well alongside Hauke Wahl and Eric Smith in the back three. Philipp Treu and Saliakas will likely occupy the wing-back spots against Leverkusen. Captain Irvine and Carlo Boukhalfa are the usual men in central midfield, while Eggestein tends to lead the line flanked by Guilavogui and Oladapo Afolayan.

Alongside Saad, Pauli are also missing three goalkeepers in Sören Ahlers, Sascha Burchert (both knee) and Ben Voll (broken Jaw), as well as midfielders Connor Metcalfe (adductor) and Robert Wagner (muscular), plus striker Simon Zoller (muscular).

Problems

Despite their three goals against Kiel, Pauli still have the worst attack in the Bundesliga alongside Bochum and Union Berlin. They have only managed to score 10 times so far and have drawn blanks in seven of their 12 fixtures. The Hamburg club also rank in the bottom three across the statistical categories of shots, shots on target and chance conversion. One goal from a set piece is also not enough. Saad’s absence has obviously been a big loss, given his two goals and an assist in the 3-0 win at Freiburg. Pauli have been missing his attacking creativity for some two months now.

The promoted side have also been susceptible to counter-attacks, conceding five goals as a result already. At least one problem looks to have been solved, though, given they’ve finally got a goal and win at the Millerntor now. Their next home game is against Werder Bremen.

Performers

Coach Blessin likes to have his team pressing and countering. It’s little surprise given his time working in the Leipzig youth system for eight years. He’s changed the style of possession and dominance that predecessor Fabian Hürzeler used to gain promotion last season. Now in the top flight, Blessin has opted to build from a more solid foundation, conceding only 15 goals in 12 games, which is the fifth-best total in the division. Pauli have also kept four clean sheets thanks to Vasilj in goal. The Bosnian has been a consistent performer and saved his second penalty of the season last time out against Kiel.

Even in defeats, the team’s defensive efforts have been good. Pauli’s game is about intensity in their running and challenges. They don’t allow their opponents many chances and try to hit them on the break when the opportunity presents itself. Around a third of their goals have come from counter-attacks.