“Maximum pressure” in final game of the year

Less than 24 hours after around 30,000 Mainz supporters celebrated a dominant 2-0 victory over Samsunspor and automatic qualification for the Conference League round of 16, FSV head coach Urs Fischer was already back behind the microphone in the MEWA ARENA press conference room to speak about a very different kind of challenge. The final match of the year is all about three hugely important points in the Bundesliga relegation battle, as well as the club’s first home win in almost ten months (the last coming in a 2-0 victory over none other than St. Pauli).
The three points up for grabs on Sunday afternoon (15:30 CET) would not only continue to build confidence after the recent upturn in form, but would also crucially reduce FC St. Pauli’s four-point lead to just one. “This is a relegation battle,” the head coach made clear. “Yesterday we had something to gain, against St. Pauli we have a lot to lose again,” Fischer said, underlining the mental challenge facing his players. He had already prepared the squad for what awaits during an extensive video analysis session on Friday morning.

URS FISCHER ON...

…the squad situation: “There will be no more involvement this year from Robin Zentner, Phillipp Mwene, Anthony Caci and Sota Kawasaki. That’s a shame, but on the positive side, we have Dominik Kohr and Paul Nebel back available in the league after serving their suspensions. Aside from that, one or two players had minor issues today, which is normal for the day after a match.”

…the analysis of Thursday’s European affair: “At the moment, we simply can’t do enough on the pitch, which is why the analysis sessions are sometimes a bit longer. We want to show the lads exactly what we expect. Today’s session before training was therefore very detailed, the analysts had already prepared everything last night.”

…lessons from the Samsunspor match: “The lads did a really good job for almost 90 minutes in terms of compactness, organisation and not allowing too much space. There were some moments that weren’t as good, and after the break we were too passive at times. What mattered, though, was that we were always ready to help cover for each other’s mistakes.”

…the difference between the Conference League and Bundesliga football: “We have to accept our situation. It’s a relegation battle. Yesterday we had something to gain; against St. Pauli we have a lot to lose again. The lads need to take the confidence we’ve built with them as we move forward. In Europe, we were perhaps able to play with more freedom, but in the Bundesliga there is maximum pressure. We accept that and can deal with it.”

…the opponents from the north: “It’s hard to mistake St. Pauli’s identity as a side. They are compact and well organised, and they’re happy to concede possession at times in order to win the ball through pressing and then transition quickly. They’re also flexible in their build-up play, sometimes using a back three and sometimes a back four. We’re prepared for that.”