"Karlsruined" -
A brief match synopsis - FC St Pauli - Karlsruher SC
Going into this game I have to say I wasn't feeling completely optimistic with how the previous game against Bielefeld finished. A late equalizer is painful enough to take at the best of times but when you're riding on such a run of form, you never want to be denied in such fashion. I started believing recently that we had regained the defensive strength which was a constant last year. No sloppy, halfhearted defending which lead to applying unwanted pressure on the forwards to score more than we were conceding. It's hard to stop goals pouring in when your squad is revolving week by week. It's almost impossible to outscore your opponent also when you have the same problem in your forwards. At the start of the season we didn't have a dominant figure in the squad who we could rely on to bag a goal or two. I didn't see it Bouhaddouz, Sobota, Choi or even Sahin at the time. Now though, we had momentum until the Bielefeld game, which soured a lot of the players as the whistle blew to conclude a frustrating end to the match. I was concerned that spirits would have depleted, and we could be heading back to where we were a few weeks back.
As the game started at a seemingly slow pace I was very interested to see where Bouhaddouz would become significant. I have had a mixed opinion on the Moroccan since joining in July 2016. But nonetheless I thought I'd give him a chance to see what he had to offer. My issue was, he only seemed to do well as a dangerous presence anywhere in or around the 6 yard box. He's a poacher, target-man and general aerial threat. He scored a hat trick in this game, and all 3 goals were inside the box, one of them, a fantastically timed run at the back post which was volleyed in from a few yards out. The second was a squared ball from Sahin which Bouhaddouz took with ease. The final goal was a second counter attack which lead to St Pauli's final goal and completed the number 11's hat trick. Chipping it deliciously over the keeper after dribbling it 30 yards to top off an all-round great performance. He could have had more, he hit the bar with a header and was gifted a handful of half-chances. I did feel almost apologetic for having my doubts on the big man, he really worked hard this game, tormenting and bullying the Karlsruher defence. I just hope this is what he needed, a little confidence boost and a few goals under his name. Prior to this game Bouhaddouz only had a handful of opportunities to score so far this season, the majority running into the opponent's box, with defenders chasing him down and two or three touches to compose himself. He's almost the complete opposite to Choi, who enjoys turning defenders inside-out, changing direction and dazzling with his tight footwork. Put Bouhaddouz in between the two centre-halves and he will challenge them all day long, take him wide or draw him closer to midfield and he will struggle. However, I applaud the centre-forward, it was a highly commendable performance. Great spirit and tenacity.
My second well deserved mention of this thrashing has to go to the young talent who I seem to be handing praise to weekly, Sahin. The guy was at his finest once again. Either wing, he terrified the Karlsruher full backs all game. The Turk is the player who you can tell excites the fans the most. He's dynamic, with an unbelievable agility to his play. I love his desire to burst towards the near post, time and time again he puts his head down and blisters down the wing. The first goal was awarded to Daehli but consisted of a classic Sahin attack down the right side. His shot deflected off the inside of the post and fumbled in off the thigh of the loanee from Freiburg. The second goal of the game, a similar story but this time Sahin crossing to find the keeper who couldn't hold the ball. Sobota followed in the attempt and managed to scramble the ball over the line for St Pauli's second. Again, great athleticism by the 22 year old as he twisted past the Karlsruher back line. As mentioned previously, Sahin also assisted Bouhaddouz on the counter attack. Proof once again that the attacking drive is something that Sahin uses frequently to tear teams apart. Splitting the remaining Karlsruher defender, the same for the keeper, leaving only the empty goal for Bouhaddouz to roll the ball into. One of his best shows on the pitch this year, another to add to his collection of great performances.
My final mention goes to an unlikely source, but one who worked a lot to keep the scoreline as it remained. Heerwagen had a great day, making some potentially match winning saves. A lot of credit went to the attackers in this fixture, but equal recognition should also be given to those at the other end particularly Gonther who was solid all game but more importantly to Heerwagen. If he didn't prevent a handful of chances Karlsruher had to equalise or grab one back, the experienced 33 year old certainly did his part for the team. They weren't all world class saves but he prevented what could have been potential match winning goals. Something I'm sure all players and fans were thankful for post-game. A well earned clean sheet for both the team and Heerwagen personally.
I cannot applaud the team any less as they made it look so easy, especially in the second half. In a game that could have gone so wrong, it actually turned out to be one of the best 90 minutes of football I have seen played at the Milerntor. Wave of attack after attack, it was just a true hunger and team collaboration that got the 3 points at the end of the day. I don't want to single out players as every player on that pitch was excellent. Sobota was worthy of a pat on the back as was Daehli, but all 11 were worthy of such praise. 3 much needed points, but more importantly were 5 much needed goals. We've proved we can score, now hopefully this carries on into the next few games so we can start to separate ourselves from the battle at the bottom of the table. I was convinced that the previous draw against Bielefeld was going to hinder our positivity going into this game, but all credit due to the players and Lienen as they certainly caught me off-guard. I was a proud fan watching this game, there was a relaxed feel which I had never experienced when watching St Pauli before.
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