Slightest yield for 14th place
© Imago
With a view to the goal record of FC St. Pauli, the Hamburgers made remarkable things in this Bundesliga season-for good and bad. The good thing: only 41 goals are the second best value of the season after FC Bayern and one of the best of a promoted team in Bundesliga history. The bad thing: With only 28 goals scored by themselves, the Kiezklub set up a new minimum record in the German Oberhaus.
Not to score more than 28 goals and still make relegation in the Bundesliga, only two teams managed before; the HSV 2015 (25 goals) on the relegation and Arminia Bielefeld 2021 (26 goals) as table 15. As St. Pauli even landed in 14th place with only 28 goals, a team has never been done.
The fact that the minimalism of the brown-whites is not well received by everyone, even in the team, was shown in the person of attacker Oladapo Afolayan at the weekend. The Englishman criticized this strategy and thus coach Alexander Blessin between the lines. In fan circles, the 27-year-old’s words, who is one of the promotion heroes from the Millerntor, had hit large waves.
Afolayan not only doesn’t want to lose – saying goodbye?
“We should go out and win games, not just try not to lose them. That is a big difference,” said Afolayan in the mixed zone after the game “Millernton“. Although he was satisfied that the relegation was successful, he had other expectations and see more potential in the team. For comparison, he pulled the previous season of 1. FC Heidenheim, who reached the Conference League as a promoted.
Afolayan’s criticism sounded with the dissatisfaction expressed at the same time about their own situation for many such as the announcement of a farewell from FCSP. “I have the feeling that I didn’t get the season I earn. And when I played, it was not valued,” complained the striker, who scored three goals and two templates this season. Afolayan reveals: “I have another year. I am obviously not happy with how things are going. We now have to evaluate that, serious conversations in summer. We will see what happens.”
St. Pauli’s historically weak goal yield of 28 goals means that Afolayans already made three hits more than 10 percent of all goals from the team and that top goal scorer Morgan Guilavogui contributed more than 20 percent with six goals; Almost as much as 15-goal striker Hugo Ekitiké at Eintracht Frankfurt. In Bundesliga history, 28 or less goals at the end of the season meant a direct descent in 15 cases 13 times. The fact that St. Pauli did not happen is due to the stable defensive and goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj. Only 41 goals are a top 10 value of a climber in Bundesliga history.