FC St Pauli 0 Bayer Leverkusen 1
Two weeks after Eintracht Frankfurt notched their first-ever Bundesliga victory away to St. Pauli, Bayer Leverkusen managed just the same feat at the Hamburg club's Millerntor Stadion.
In fact, St. Pauli have only picked up a measly four points in six games this season at their one-time local fortress and currently have the second-worst home record in the division behind Borussia Mönchengladbach.
One-sided first half
The promoted club had been banking on earning the majority of the points needed for the season target of avoiding relegation on their own turf. Instead, their latest performance at home to Leverkusen was again only half-worthy of the atmosphere generated at the ground. Having warned his players they would be in for a hot reception, Bayer coach Jupp Heynckes was taken aback by the extent to which they then dominated the first half at the Millerntor, getting in 13 attempts on goal to just the one by the hosts.
St. Pauli came out like a team transformed after the break and Gerald Asamoah was particularly unlucky with an effort that came back off the post, as Heynckes himself admitted, although, "In the end, we deserved our win.�
"Too much respect"
The home side's Carsten Rothenbach, back in action after injury, agreed, saying Leverkusen were a great side, but, "We showed them too much respect in the first half.� Reflecting on his shot against the aluminium, Asamoah said, "When you're on a roll, those chances go in. But not much is happening for us up front at the moment... we need to play from the start the way we did after half time.�
Indeed, their improvement after the interval offers plenty of hope that the team can steer clear of the relegation zone. First off though they have to turn around a current form dip that has seen them lose every game since Matchday 8 � when they bagged the sole home victory of the season so far against 1. FC Nürnberg (3-2).
"A strange feeling"
"Four straight defeats. It's a strange feeling�, remarked midfielder Florian Bruns, who has helped the club rise from the Regional League to the top flight over the past four successful years. Pointing to the chances they created after going a goal down though, he added that "We can't let ourselves be affected by creeping self-doubt now.�
Coach Holger Stanislawski was annoyed about the fact that, "We were too timid in the first half. Bayer were able to play to their strengths, we let them unfold their fast, direct game.� After the break, by contrast, "We played really well and should have scored.� Overall though, Stanislawski is not too unhappy about the team's current position: "13th after twelve games, with just 19 goals conceded. I think that's very presentable.�
Change of strategy
Not so the goals scored tally, as the coach readily concedes. St. Pauli have hit the net just twelve times in those same twelve matches, less than any other team in the top flight. "From now on we'll take things more into our own hands, even there's an increased risk of being hit on the break�, Stanislawski told the Hamburg newspaper Morgenpost: "The more we go on the offensive, the more scoring situations we'll create in the opponents' box.�
The team's first opportunity to put that theory into practice comes next Sunday against VfL Wolfsburg: another side who have yet to come away from the Millerntor with the fresh taste of victory in their mouths.
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