St. Pauli won nine second balls against Leipzig today, which is a lot. I haven't checked how many of them became attacking situations, but this again shows how important second balls are for #fcsp games these days. I wrote about the second ball idea in the tweet below. 👇🏻

Luka Vuskovic spat on the St. Pauli logo in the corridor leading to the locker room. He had also previously had an altercation with fans in the stand. #fcsphsv #fcsp #hsv

Not much happened in the first half of #FCSPSHSV. - #hsv tried to take advantage by overloading the right side. - #fcsp could’ve gained the advantage if they had more physicality up front and gone long early, as they often have a 4v4 situation up there during the early build-up.

It seems like Eric Smith fill in for Jacko, which a good idea (imo) especially with Alex Blessin's new physical style of play (for winning the second ball, overload) to create chances: bit.ly/SecondBallTF #fcsp

Alexander Blessin has finally hit upon some new ideas. Yes, even though #fcsp are still struggling to score goals or increase their XG, Blessin has found ways to help them create chances: Second ball, overload. How does it work? Jump 👇🏻 for full article, or follow this thread 🧵 bit.ly/SecondBallTF

Joel Fujita, progressive master. Aside from 2 assists, he made 9 progressive passes in total, the most of any player in the team. Very important, with his new role, for Blessin’s system. #fcsp

After all, Joel Fujita is the best playmaker of #fcsp.

Might be impossible, but a good friend looking for 2 tickets for game vs Heidenheim. Egal wo. Hope someone has or know ones. Thanks 🙏🏻 #fcsp #fcspfch

Think @fcstpauli.com need to play Pokal game every week. #fcsp

Gladbach have been targeting the space between #fcsp centre-back & wing-back. This is either because one of the CBs jumps to the opponent or because of their positioning; there’s space there. That’s where Gladbach's goal came from, too. (IMO, Oppie should’ve tracked back Honorat there). #bmgfcsp

That was a good pressing effort from #fcsp. Mets, Jacko and Pereira jump at the right time. And finally, Hountondji. This is what St. Pauli have been waiting for! #fcbfcsp

Jackson Irvine shows what has been lacking in St. Pauli's game this season. Having an extra body in the penalty box is really important for variety, and he provides that. #fcsp

I think Louis Oppie needs some competition. He’s too comfortable there, always playing regardless of his form. The problem is that he sometimes looks limited with the ball, only doing simple things. I think this is one of the reasons why St. Pauli’s attack is so one-sided on the right. #fcsp

St. Pauli did indeed defend very deep in the first half. However, they also struggled to move the ball forward into the final third. The right area remains their favourite, but there's been no progress there. #fcsp

Sehr gute Analyse von @bergas.bsky.social zu den aktuellen Problemen des #fcsp! Ich finde das Problem der fehlenden dribbelnden Flügelspieler besonders interessant. Diese sind im aktuellen Spitzenfußball ein absoluter Gamechanger, da inzwischen fast jedes Team im tiefen Block verteidigen kann.

Do St. Pauli miss the “dribbling-forwards” they had last season? The statistics suggest they are. This thread is supposed to explain that topic (and the scoring aspect) based on statistics + my analysis. If you'd rather jump straight to the long article, here you go: bit.ly/FCSP2526TF #fcsp

I respect your account @antifa-ultras.bsky.social, but don't steal my picture and put your account watermark on it. I've never given you permission to add a watermark to it. 😂 You can use it; I don't mind. Just don't put a watermark on it acting like you took it. Put some respect.

I'm worried that all the penalties will become too easy for Vasilj. 😁 #fcsp

Enjoy it while it lasts! #fcsp

Seems like Sands doing a double job again—to jump to opponent’s CB, as Hountondji providing width when #fcsp out-of-possession. But so far it’s work, #hsv couldn’t progress comfortably to the half-space. In-possession, that long-ball to the space behind #hsv defensive line works really well.

Last season, @fcstpauli.com survived in the Bundesliga thanks to amazing defensive performances. This season, however, they’ll need more than that to stay: they need to improve in-possession phase. My season preview before 1st game vs #bvb. #fcsp totalfootballanalysis.com/head-coach-a...

55 minutes, Louis Oppie is the player I’m most concerned about (aside from Hountondji & his finishing). His decision-making could’ve been better, his first touches were often too heavy, & his positioning sometimes clashed with other players. Hopefully he'll settle in soon. #fcsp

Made (your-alternative) Bundesliga Team of the Season 👇🏻 Of course there's Wirtz & Olise, but also 2 Werder Bremen's & 2 St. Pauli's. 11 players who have outstanding attributes & could complement each other (based on last season's performances). #svw #fcsp totalfootballanalysis.com/data-analysi...

Watched some of his Wyscout clips, checked his stats. Arkadiusz Pyrka is an elite dribbler (by Ekstraklasa standards). There are some warnings about his defensive part, but he's young and can be developed. But he's a different profile for @fcstpauli.com in a wing-back position. #fcsp #pyrka

St. Pauli, Werder Bremen, Mainz 05. They all play in a back three formation, but they use different approach when they're defending. Some high, some low. I analyse their out-of-possession phase (along with Inter, Celta Vigo, Glasner's Palace). #fcsp #svw totalfootballanalysis.com/tactical-the...

The referee is annoying, too many stops (sometimes not at the right moments). fcstpauli.com defends well in its own half... but the decision to press Stuttgart’s first phase of the build-up wasn't the right one (see the sequence before the penalty). Caught in transition. But Vasilj ❤️ #fcsp #fcspvfb

Prior to the match vs Bremen, Danel Sinani led St. Pauli in (per 90 minutes): - Key passes - shots creating action from live passes, set pieces, shots. - Only second in expected assists. He starts again today. #fcsp #svwfcsp I chatted and wrote about him: totalfootballanalysis.com/player-analy...

63 minutes and St. Pauli are defending well. The problem is that Wirtz is sometimes able to get the ball free in the half-space (his off-the-ball movement is really clever), and that set-piece makes it 1-0 to Leverkusen so far. #fcsp #fcspb04

With Gigovic always moving to the left half-space, he caused some confusion for St. Pauli in the first half. Who was going to follow him—Nemeth or Irvine? Kiel, then, often had the advantage on the left—and their goal came from there. Blessin has to figure that out. #fcsp #ksvfcsp

DAPO AFOLAYAN. WHAT A BEAUTY. #fcsp #fcspbmg

Wrote an analysis for @betweentheposts.bsky.social last week about Gladbach vs Leipzig game, and mentioned how dangerous Gladbach's corner is—especially with Ko Itakura at the far post. Guess what? Gladbach scored again from a corner vs St. Pauli today. Itakura getting the goal. #fcspbmg

In the first half, St. Pauli showed a really clever plan to exploit Bayern's man-to-man play. Here's from the 1st goal: - 5 #fcsp players in the back baited #fcb's press, creating a gap between Bayern's attacking unit & rest defence. (1/2) #fcbfcsp

If there's one player I'm always happy to see score against my country in a competitive match, it's (always) Jacko. Today he scored twice against Indonesia. I think he has scored 3 goals against us in the last 3 games. Must be one of his favourite opponents. #fcsp

Jackson Irvine has done it all for #fcsp: From getting involved in the build-up, to doing a lot of defensive work, to crashing into the opposition box. I asked him about his changing role & partners. The article (which unfortunately has a paywall): totalfootballanalysis.com/player-analy...

Not a big fan of Noah Weißhaupt’s attacking output. Yes, he's really fun to watch in the 1v1 situation, but when it comes to the end product, he seems to lack power, precision. He took 2 shots today, 1 of which was blocked. #fcsp #wobfcsp

It was a really good delivery from Sinani—he should be a taker when he plays, and then also nice assist from Jacko. Off the ball, St. Pauli are trying to overload Wolfsburg's midfield and so far it's working. #fcsp #wobfcsp

I wrote about my experiences at the beloved Millerntor for The Atlantic Dispatch. Just wanted to share how special it is, also thanks to @fcstpauli.com. #fcsp Give it a read here: theatlanticdispatch.com/st-pauli-the... Or if you prefer Instagram version: www.instagram.com/p/DG5pao1tc2...

Jackson Irvine after St. Pauli vs BVB: “I feel we can be better in individual moments, of course, but we have to find SOMETHING EXTRA. … Maybe you have to look at the context of the big picture deep within ourselves of what we're trying to achieve as a team.” I do agree with him. #fcsp #fcspbvb

Back in December, I wrote an idea that could be used by Alex Blessin: Move Eric Smith up front to play as a midfielder. And he's been playing there twice, including today against Dortmund. We'll see what happens, but I'm optimistic. #fcsp #fcspbvb Full article: theflanker.id/ideas-102d57

I looked at St. Pauli's attacking data & some things can be worrying: - The conversion of positional attacks is low (attacks hardly lead to shots) - Lack of presence in the penalty area after Guilavogui injury - Wingers need to take more "smart" shots Full: bit.ly/PauliAttackTF #fcsp

Ein sehr gutes Profil zu Eric Smith von @bergas.bsky.social! #fcsp

Eric "The Kaiser" Smith 😍 Sehr guter Scoutingbericht von @bergas.bsky.social zum "Libero" des #FCSP

Always believe that @fcstpauli.com’s Eric Smith deserves his own @totalanalysis.bsky.social scouting report, so i made one. Cause i think he deserves more recognition for his ability to play in a “special role”. p.s. The title is from the beloved editor. totalfootballanalysis.com/player-analy...

Should've added the sub-headline "Winter Transfer Specialist" to my piece about Andreas Bornemann of St. Pauli. He often showed how good he is at finding players who could help the team straight away, and i reckon this winter will be another example. #fcsp analyticsfc.co.uk/blog/2024/06...

Dortmund threw away a 2-0 lead, 2-2 at the end. The 3 changes Bremen made really made a difference—Issa Kabore was unstoppable, Bittencourt scored a banger. And I'm a big fan of Jens Stage's vision. #BVBSVW

Dortmund are down to 10 men after Schlotterbeck's red card. And they just scored. Jamie Gittens involved. Werder Bremen again, conceding too easily. I mean, you're numerically superior, you don't have to jump to press your opponent and leave space behind you. #BVBSVW #SVW

Today's newsletter is a guest piece from Bergas Brillianto. Manchester United are in need of wingbacks that fit Ruben Amorim's system, and we have a few ideas: www.thetransferflow.com/p/manchester...

Marmoush can score and fast, I think a lot of people know that. But he can also hold the ball up well to link up with his team-mates and he knows when to drop into the half-spaces to provoke the opposition or to receive the ball. That's what I've seen so far. #sge #fcspsge

In the first half, Frankfurt changed their in-possession shape from something like 3-3-4 to 4-1-5, because they couldn't progress through the centre. They seemed to want to create 5vs5 situation against St. Pauli's defensive line. And goal came in that 5v5 situation. #fcspsge #fcsp

At the Millerntor today for St Pauli vs Eintracht Frankfurt. Gonna analyse Marmoush live as this game could be one of his last for #SGE (already has 2 shots on target). First game of 2025 for #fcsp with 3 new players on the bench as well. #fcspsge