FC St. Pauli: Hopes rest on Irvine - and also on Blessin
FC St. Pauli currently occupy the relegation playoff spot during the international break. Their 1-2 defeat in Freiburg was their seventh consecutive loss – equaling a club record for losses. However, the Kiezkicker (St. Pauli) see light at the end of the tunnel – thanks in part to the return of Jackson Irvine.
The Australian almost became a celebrated hero in his first extended appearance after a months-long injury layoff. His volley, which took a slight deflection, was a golden opportunity to equalize at 2-2 in the 89th minute. However, following the off-field controversies surrounding Irvine , which could spark further discussions at Saturday's general meeting, the happy ending on the pitch also failed to materialize.
"The team didn't give up and gave it their all at the end. The goal gave us momentum," explained coach Alexander Blessin. "We have to take the positives from those final minutes. Jackson Irvine brought a lot of energy and did us a world of good."
The coach praised the captain: "He's been giving the team talks in the last three games and has been increasingly demanding commands in training. You can see how extremely important he can be, with his presence, his physicality, his, let's say, aura," said Blessin. "That's more or less my hope, that we can continue to build on that in the coming months."
St. Pauli searching for the right balanceThe coach had announced before the match that he would be focusing more on defensive work. Virtually nothing remained of last season's defensive bulwark (second-best defense in the league) – partly due to Blessin's more offensive tactics – now boasting the third-worst defense in the league.
Freiburg's defense was more solid, but their attack offered virtually nothing for a long time, and the opposition ruthlessly exploited their chances. SC Freiburg coach Julian Schuster was very surprised, however, that the visitors didn't abandon their defensive approach even after going down 0-2.
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"We wanted to keep a clean sheet for as long as possible and hurt Freiburg with counter-attacks, but that didn't work out today," admitted Eric Smith. The defensive leader also noted, however, that while the team once again came away empty-handed, they were significantly closer to securing a point than in their last match. This was partly due to Louis Oppie 's first Bundesliga goal, but primarily thanks to Irvine.
Irvine takes control of the game in the final stages.The midfield engine had previously played four minutes in Frankfurt (0-2) and six minutes against Mönchengladbach (0-4) . The 32-year-old came on in the 68th minute in Freiburg. And even though he wasn't involved in the consolation goal, which Freiburg made possible through several errors, it quickly became clear how much Irvine had been missed by his team in recent months. His introduction seemed to awaken St. Pauli.
Oppie's shot on goal was the first for the St. Pauli players of the entire match. After that, Irvine seemed to be everywhere on the pitch. He threw himself into every challenge and won the majority of them. He also boasted a pass completion rate of over 80 percent. And just before the final whistle, he had a golden opportunity to equalize.
No discussion about the coach at St. Pauli, ...As bitter as it was for the St. Pauli players that the ball narrowly missed the far corner, their analysis was honest. "Overall, Freiburg was the better team over 90 minutes and deserved to win," Smith stated. And Blessin added: "Overall, it was a deserved victory for Freiburg."
Unlike his Wolfsburg counterpart Paul Simonis, who was dismissed on Sunday evening , Blessin doesn't have to worry about his job despite the team's slump. Manager Andreas Bornemann had already stated beforehand that he didn't foresee a crisis and that part of FC St. Pauli's unique character was that the coach could continue working undisturbed for longer periods.
... for that, renewed courageEspecially now during the international break – a time for everything to reassess. One thing is certain: the first goal after 486 goalless minutes, just like the "somewhat wild final phase" (Smith's words) in Freiburg, should point the way forward. To more presence in midfield and the right balance between defense and attack.
And after the international break, the St. Pauli players want to end their losing streak in their home game against Berlin. With Irvine. Blessin said he is "absolutely" a candidate for the starting eleven against Union.
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