After his team unexpectedly pushed German record champions Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, St. Pauli defender Hauke Wahl credited head coach Alexander Blessin and his team with providing the players with a solid game plan. St. Pauli could hardly hope to upset Bayern at home in the Allianz Arena. Wahl thus found the 3-1 away defeat to possess plenty of merit.
The latest loss constitutes St. Pauli’s ninth consecutive defeat in the league. Hamburg’s Kiezkicker have not won or even drawn since besting Augsburg in mid September. Despite this especially poor run-of-results, very few are questioning the work of Blessin and his coaching staff. Even though St. Pauli currently occupy the automatic relegation place, Blessin’s job appears safe.
Wahl insisted that the players remained behind Blessin whilst speaking in the mixed zone yesterday. The Hamburg-native – among the few players who have scored for St. Pauli during this rough stretch – also felt as if the team was heading in the right direction. A feisty performance against the German giants at least gave them something to build upon.
“This was another small step in the right direction,” Wahl said. “Since Freiburg and Union Berlin last week [both narrow one goal losses in the Bundesliga] I’ve seen progress. Of course, we’ve still gotten zero points from these matches and it’s honestly easier to demonstrate passion at the Allianz Arena.
“Munich must not be a one-off,” Wahl continued. “We have to deliver this [sort of passion] week after week. Otherwise, we cannot remain in the league. The passion we just showed on the pitch must be the bar we set for ourselves. We must not fall below this level.
“The public and the media are discussing the coach,” Wahl (even if there isn’t much a discussion amongst supporters or in the press) added. “But we aren’t. We travelled to Munich with a great match-plan from the coaching team.“
