Welcome to The Blueprint. A weekly series where myself (pauciloquxnt) and FUTWIZ will be venturing into the world of real life tactics and how we can recreate them in FC 25. This week we’ll be looking at Fabian Hürzeler’s St. Pauli of 23/24, hope you enjoy it!
FC St. Pauli’s Tactical Mastery Under Fabian Hürzeler in the 2023/24 Season
The 2023/24 season was a historic one for FC St. Pauli, as head coach Fabian Hürzeler led them to the 2. Bundesliga title, securing promotion to the Bundesliga for the first time since 2011. Central to their success was a bold tactical shift, utilising an innovative 3-0-7 formation in possession, an aggressive high press, and a structured defensive approach. Their dominance in the league was not just down to results but also their progressive, fluid, and relationist style of play, which made them one of Germany’s most exciting teams.
Tactical Framework
Formation and Build-Up Play
Hürzeler’s system revolved around a three-man backline featuring Karol Mets, Eric Smith, and Hauke Wahl, with Smith stepping into midfield to aid build-up. This movement created a diamond structure alongside goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj, ensuring numerical superiority when playing out from the back. The midfield pivot—typically Jackson Irvine and Marcel Hartel—vacated deeper areas, facilitating vertical progression and enabling a seven-man attack.
Wing-backs Manolis Saliakas and either Connor Metcalfe or Philipp Treu played as high and wide outlets, stretching the opposition, while wingers Elias Saad and Oladapo Afolayan occupied central spaces to create overloads. This positional fluidity allowed St. Pauli to quickly bypass opposition pressure, using sharp combination play and intelligent off-the-ball movements to sustain attacks. Their build-up was not patient for possession’s sake, but rather deliberate and direct, aiming to progress quickly while maintaining control.
Pressing and Defensive Structure
Out of possession, St. Pauli employed a man-oriented high press, with the front three leading the charge to disrupt opposition build-up. The midfield pushed up aggressively, while the defensive line stayed mid-to-high, compressing space to force turnovers. Against weaker teams, they pushed up relentlessly, suffocating opposition build-up, whereas against stronger teams, they adjusted by dropping slightly deeper while maintaining pressing triggers.
If the press was bypassed, St. Pauli transitioned into a compact 5-2-3, ensuring defensive stability while retaining the ability to counter-press effectively. This ability to shift seamlessly between high pressing and compact defending made them one of the most tactically disciplined teams in the league.
Statistical Insights
St. Pauli’s tactical approach translated into outstanding numbers throughout the season:
- Possession Control – Averaged 61% possession per game, showcasing their dominance in controlling matches.
- Passing Efficiency – Center-backs Mets and Smith averaged over 70 passes per game with a 90%+ completion rate, underscoring their role in progression.
- Defensive Solidity – Conceded just 29 goals in 34 matches (0.85 per game), the best defensive record in the league.
- Attacking Output – Scored 72 goals in 34 matches (2.1 per game), with Afolayan and Saad combining for 28 goals and 16 assists.
- Pressing Intensity – Ranked in the top two for PPDA (Passes per Defensive Action), highlighting their aggressive press.
2. Bundesliga Title and Promotion
St. Pauli’s tactical superiority and consistency propelled them to their first 2. Bundesliga title, finishing top of the table with points to spare over their closest rivals. Their dominance was built on tactical intelligence, squad cohesion, and the execution of Hürzeler’s vision, making them one of the most compelling teams to watch in European football.
Recreated for FC 25
Make sure to check out the full tactic on FUTWIZ
The Tactics
Build-Up Style is set to Short Passing, so that we can maintain possession and cycle the ball effectively, without having to force anything with percentage balls.
Line Height is set to 50 so that we can maintain that mid-block out of possession. Your press will be created by the sheer amount of bodies you have in the attacking third if you lose the ball.
We put the GK on Sweeper Keeper with a Build-Up focus so that they sweep up any loose balls over the top, and have the ability to show for a pass in the build up.
To recreate the diamond in defence we must use the middle CB on Ball-Playing Defender with a Build-Up focus. This will mean they sit almost as a holding midfielder in the build up phase.
The LB and RB will be on Attacking Wingback with a Balanced focus so that they are always joining the attack and keeping themselves high and wide when we have the ball, so we stretch our opponent’s defence.
Both CMs are on Playmaker with a Roaming focus. This is so they fill any space vacated by our other attackers. They play as ‘False 10’s’ drifting in and out of space to provide passing options in the final third.
LW and RW will be on Inside Forward with a Roaming focus. This is so that we have that relationist approach in the final third, with players occupying different spaces depending on how the opponent lines up, causing chaos in and around the box.
Finally, the ST is on Advanced Forward with a Support focus. This is so that they can support the build up by dropping deep, but not sacrificing that movement from deeper and wider areas, creating direct runs for that crucial final ball.
Tips and Tricks
- Delaying the counter is the main priority when you lose the ball – press it for one or two passes, but then look to retreat to the 5-2-3 rest defensive shape. You will need to track back with midfielders, and the wing backs, to give the CBs time to set themselves.
- Roles ++ are essential for defenders because of the added speed to your transitions, both defensively and offensively, + roles as a bare minimum for your attackers.
- I recommend Tiki Taka and Incisive Pass as two essential playstyles for your attacking players. It will aid with the quick, vertical passing that this tactic is all about and allow you to play with freedom knowing you’re less likely to misplace a pass.
- Defensively, Intercept, Bruiser, Jockey and Anticipate are all the recommendations from me. In the current meta, the speed boost is king, and combining Jockey with Quick Step can really give you the edge in the 1v1 duels.
Final Thoughts
Under Fabian Hürzeler, St. Pauli’s 2023/24 season was defined by tactical innovation and strategic evolution. Their 3-0-7 attacking structure, aggressive pressing, and adaptable defensive shape made them the most dominant and tactically fascinating team in the 2. Bundesliga. With their Bundesliga return secured, St. Pauli now faces the challenge of losing Hürzeler to Brighton and trying to survive in Germany’s top division.
Hopefully you guys can have some fun with this, it’s a breath of fresh air amongst the dry, reductive play of the 4213 and its 6 defenders. Let’s make FC 25 fun again, and score a boat load of goals in the process!
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