---
title: "Marcel Rapp looks ahead to Arminia Bielefeld away; transfer window closed, squad complete"
sdDatePublished: "2026-09-03T11:05:00Z"
source: "https://www.fcstpauli.com/en/news/cheftrainer-marcel-rapp-vor-auswaertsspiel-arminia-bielefeld-2627"
topics:
  - name: "football"
    identifier: "medtop:20001065"
  - name: "sport organisation"
    identifier: "medtop:20001125"
  - name: "sports management and ownership"
    identifier: "medtop:20001324"
locations:
  - "Kiel"
  - "Essen"
  - "Bielefeld"
  - "United States"
---


Marcel Rapp looks ahead to Arminia Bielefeld away; transfer window closed, squad complete

FC St. Pauli | Head coach Marcel Rapp looks ahead to Arminia…

Head coach Marcel Rapp looks ahead to Arminia Bielefeld away 2627

Rapp: "I believe the points will come"

The Boys in Brown are back in league action this Friday when they travel to Arminia Bielefeld (kick-off: 18.30 CET). Head coach Marcel Rapp spoke to the media in the run-up, and we've put together the key lines from his news conference…

...the injury situation : “All the lads have come through OK. Branimir Hrgota had a slight heel problem, but there’s no reason for him not to play. Youssoupha Niang is fit — he took part in the entire pre-season at FC Köln, after all. Abdoulie Ceesay got just over half an hour against Kaiserslautern and is now ready for at least 45, maybe even 60 minutes.”

...his optimism despite the current points tally : “I’ve seen three games where we deserved more than we got. If you only look at the points, it’s not enough — but do you form your opinion based on results or performances? I know full well that results are what count, but I go by the performances. I believe the points will come. If we win three games, it doesn’t mean everything’s rosy. We haven’t won any yet, but that doesn’t mean it’s a complete disaster. You have to strike a balance, and as a coaching team we do that well. When you analyse things, you have to put emotions aside and assess the performances. If we want to improve, we have to evaluate what’s actually there. We can’t let anything else influence us, and that’s what we do every day.”

...Eric Smith, his best position, and the situation surrounding Joel Fujita : “We treat the lads fairly. We analyse the performances and go through them with the players. Joel’s performances haven’t been at a level where he’s a guaranteed starter every game. He’s a good and important player for us and has our full support. Eric put in a good performance against Kaiserslautern, and I’m planning to use him in both positions, as at the weekend. That’s no problem for him. We always look at what fits the opposition and who’s in contention. There’s no reason why Eric and Joel can’t play together.”

…the occasionally shaky defence : “We didn’t defend the box well at Kiel, and that was an issue at Essen, too, but against Kaiserslautern we did a good job. Goals like the first one against Lautern can happen — I can’t blame anyone there. We’ll score goals like that ourselves as the season goes on. I don’t see us being completely vulnerable at the back. We have a solid, excellent defence when we defend as a unit. That’s how we’ll prepare the lads for the next game.”

...the end of the transfer window and the current squad : “Even though something could still happen, I’m assuming the squad is complete. I’m glad the transfer window has closed. It’s good for the players to have clarity. We’ve assembled a good squad and the spirit in the group is good. We have good balance in attack and a variety of player types. We have a bit of everything, so it’s up to us what we do with it.”

..the type of players needed at Bielefeld : “We need a mix of everything. If they press high, we have one‑v‑ones. If they sit deeper, we face a block. We need different approaches depending on what they do. We have players who can do both. We’re prepared for everything and will have to go to the limit.”

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