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Blessin and dealing with pressure: "I mowed the lawn"

Hamburg 08. May 2026 12:38 Uhr 7 Min
Blessin and dealing with pressure: "I mowed the lawn"
Challenged as a crisis manager: St. Pauli coach Alexander Blessin. (Archive picture) / Photo: Frank Molter/dpa
From: DieSachsen News
Alexander Blessin is experiencing his most difficult phase as coach of FC St. Pauli. He wants and needs to lead the way in the relegation battle. He finds distraction in the garden.

Even during the training-free period, Alexander Blessin is not completely without grass. To distract himself from the pressure and stress of the sporting battle for survival with FC St. Pauli in the Bundesliga and to recharge his batteries, the coach works in the garden, among other things. "I mowed the lawn nicely. That was good. And that gives you thoughts that do you good," says the 52-year-old.

It's important for him to use the short phases "to get a bit of clarity back into my head, to deal with the pressure. And yes, that is partly liberating," says Blessin, who lives with his family near Stuttgart.

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FC St. Pauli slips into direct relegation spot

Since he started at the Hamburg club almost two years ago, the coach has experienced the constant pressure of the relegation battle. But this pressure has never been as great as it is now since FC St. Pauli returned to the Bundesliga in 2024. Two matchdays before the end of the season, the Kiezclub is in a direct relegation spot. The expectation that this will change on Saturday (3.30 pm/Sky) after the game at Champions League contenders RB Leipzig is rather low.

Last season, the club practically saved itself on the penultimate matchday with a 1-1 draw at Eintracht Frankfurt after a surprisingly stable season. Now Blessin and the team are banking on a final matchday against VfL Wolfsburg at home in the Millerntor Stadium for the relegation play-off place and thus the last chance to stay in the league in the season extension.

Blessin agrees with Kompany

"It's one more level more likely than last season," says Blessin about the current pressure. He refers to the statement by Bayern Munich's master coach Vincent Kompany about his experience of the permanent relegation battle with Burnley in the Premier League. "This pressure is not comparable to a Champions League semi-final," the Belgian said.

"Experiencing a relegation battle takes a lot of energy," said Blessin. Last year there was a very good ending, "this year we want to steer it in exactly the right direction". Of course, the situation also hurts, "I'm human enough to recognize that". At the end of the day, it does him no good "to feel sorry for myself, but I have to lead the way".

Support from managers and players

The fact that he can still lead the way is also thanks to sporting director Andreas Bornemann and president Oke Göttlich. They held on to him and showed their confidence in him in the fall despite a run of nine defeats and growing doubts. And they continue to do so now after eight games without a win. Especially after the shockingly weak performances at 1. FC Heidenheim (0:2) and against FSV Mainz 05 (1:2).

Blessin himself does not want to give up. "I'm not going to throw in the towel like this. I stand by it and I am convinced that we can do it together," he said a week ago after the match against Mainz 05.

The players backed him in any case. "No way!", answered captain Jackson irvine when asked about a change on the sidelines. "The only way to get out of this is together. We all have to stand close together, support each other. That's the only way." Defensive player Hauke Wahl also made it clear: "It's two matchdays before the end. We're not going to start talking about the coach now."

Many reasons for permanent crisis in 2025/2026

However, it is also clear that the performance in the last two games in particular does not exactly fuel hopes of a happy ending. The defense - still the showpiece in the previous season - is no longer as stable. The attack consists primarily of players whose core competencies include speed, but not goal-scoring ability.

During the winter transfer period, the club did not react appropriately to the striker plight. Added to this was the enormous bad luck with injuries. And parts of the supporters are no longer unreservedly behind the team.

A relaxed approach to relegation

However, at this point it is pointless to think about the reasons for the disappointing season. This will be thoroughly analyzed by those responsible after the season. The question of whether Blessin will remain at the Millerntor for a third year - regardless of the league affiliation - will only then be clarified.

Now it's time to save what can be saved. And Blessin is fully committed to this. He wants to do it his way. "What's important at the moment is that you laugh, that you have a certain looseness." If everything becomes too difficult, then no performance will come out of it. "That's certainly not conducive."

Copyright 2026, dpa (www.dpa.de). All rights reserved

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Topics :

Soccer Bundesliga Hamburg FC St. Pauli Saxony RB Leipzig Hamburg
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Projekt Saxony Today : Mehrsprachigkeit von regionalen Nachrichten für in Sachsen lebende Menschen ohne deutsche Muttersprache. Projekt wird gefördert durch die Sächsische Landesanstalt für privaten Rundfunk und neue Medien. Diese Maßnahme wird mitfinanziert durch Steuermittel auf Grundlage des vom Sächsischen Landtag beschlossenen Haushaltes.