The whistle blows on the final matchday and the action on the pitch is over for the season. We may all be social distancing right now, but the Bundesliga trainers are still giving their opinions post-match (albeit via a microphone on a very long pole!). Here are the trainer reactions from matchday 34.
Borussia Dortmund 0-4 Hoffenheim
Lucien Favre: “We didn’t play well. We gave away too many gifts to the opponent. We were not present in winning the ball. If a player isn’t putting in 100 percent, it’s tough for the other players. That wasn’t enough today.
“We also need to be more patient and not forget to defend together. We’ve had to make a few changes and played with a very young team. Hoffenheim had a clear goal in mind today and you could see they were very present. There wasn’t enough from our team today.”
“We have to forget this pretty quickly. We reached our goal a week ago in Leipzig, where we played a good game. That was very important. We played a good season!”
Alexander Rosen: “I said before the match it was a good season for us whatever happened. Now that we’ve finished sixth, it was a very good season. We’re obviously delighted that we’ve avoided the qualifiers and qualified automatically for the group stages. It’s a wonderful way to end the season.”
Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 Mainz
Peter Bosz: “It is a little strange that we have to be disappointed with 63 points because that is not enough for the Champions League. It’s five points more than last year, but congratulations to Gladbach! It was muggy today and the grass was very dry. It was difficult for the players. We scored early on, but then missed the second and third goals and we also had some luck out the back.”
Rouwen Schröder (sporting director): “It’s a really frustrating loss. We knew that Leverkusen would be giving it their all, but we also wanted to bring something back from this match and get our third win in a row. We weren’t awake at the start and lost the ball too easily. We needed something to get ourselves into the game and had a chance through Jonny Burkardt. At the break, Leverkusen’s lead was deserved.
“We had a bit more freedom in the second half and JP’s equaliser was unfortunately offside. He’s had to wait a long time for that. The lads kept pushing, you can’t fault them for that. The season is over and we’re staying up – we‘re going to debrief and go over everything in the next few days, but first we need to shut down and regroup.”
Borussia Mönchengladbach 2-1 Hertha Berlin
Marco Rose: “Qualifying for the Champions League is a very special moment for this club. I am incredibly proud of the boys and the club and am delighted for everyone whose heart beats for Gladbach.
“It’s a shame that we can’t celebrate this success with our fans. If they had been here today, Borussia Park would have erupted. Our achievement today is for the fans first of all. I hope that they can celebrate it, wherever they are.”
Bruno Labbadia: “We gave the ball away too easily in the first half. That made life easier for our opponents and we conceded an avoidable goal early on. We were lucky not to be further behind at the break. The game turned on its head somewhat in the second half; we made tactical and personnel changes and they made the difference. We were on top, but then we conceded a second goal from a corner.
“The boys didn’t give up though and got a goal back at the end. All in all, it was a little bit sloppy with too many turnovers and that costs a lot of energy on a hot day like today. You have to congratulate Gladbach, they deserve to be in the Champions League.”
VfL Wolfsburg 0-4 Bayern Munich
Oliver Glasner: “In the first half I was pleased with many of our attacks. We often did well in the build-up and had two or three really good chances, but the difference is that Bayern come forward once and before you know it the ball’s in the net. At the start of the second half we also had some decent opportunities, but we weren’t clinical enough in the final third. With a man advantage they were able to spread the ball around and thoroughly deserved to win the game.
“We accept the defeat – Bayern were too hot for us to handle today. It’s disappointing to lose 4-0. We’d have loved to hold on to sixth place, but the important thing is that we have the chance to qualify for the group stages of the Europa League again. We just have to take the slightly more arduous route via the qualifiers.”
Hansi Flick: “The team’s performance today and in recent months, the manner in which they’ve approached their tasks and what they’ve managed to achieve, makes me and my coaching staff incredibly proud. On the whole, the season has gone perfectly. We’ve really shown our qualities during the entire second half of the season, and since the coronavirus break.”
Eintracht Frankfurt 3-2 Paderborn
Adi Hütter: “Everyone saw that we had a really hard time. Compliments also to Paderborn, who didn’t stop fighting. We weren’t able to add the fourth goal, but we showed character and deservedly won the game.”
Steffen Baumgart: “We were very good in the game, the boys put everything into it. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to score the necessary goal. The defeat annoys me. But we shouldn’t talk the season down I thought we played well, bit in certain situations we lacked the quality.”
Werder Bremen 6-1 Köln
Florian Kohfeldt: “The boys played well today. They were under immense pressure, just as they were in Freiburg or in Paderborn. We knew that if we didn’t win today, it was over. But it wasn’t just about our game here, we were relying on results elsewhere. We knew that it wasn’t in our own hands.
“I have to say a big thank you to Union Berlin for their sporting mentality and for doing everything to win the game today. They did us a massive favour. At the same time, I also have great sympathy for Fortuna Düsseldorf, who played really well across the whole of the Rückrunde. I can imagine their pain.
“The immense pressure is still there. We now have two more games, in which we will give everything. In that respect, not much has changed. The small, but perhaps crucial difference, is that it’s now back in our own hands. But we can’t afford to drop off, at all! Because we now have two more cup finals ahead of us.”
Markus Gisdol: “I can say that the whole season was not easy. We reached our goal last week, so the tension dropped. I won’t criticise my team, but we didn’t play well today. We weren’t able to get our normal performance.”
Freiburg 4-0 Schalke
David Wagner: “Our young team started the game well and had a few good chances which could have put us ahead – they probably should have. Freiburg were then incredibly clinical. We didn’t offer much of a fight in the second half, so we deserved to lose.”
Christian Streich: “It was a hard-fought game. We played well for the majority of it and scored a lovely first goal. We showed a lot of efficiency today. It’s a great end to the season for us.”
Augsburg 1-2 RB Leipzig
Heiko Herrlich: “I’m happy that we put in a good performance today. We would’ve to take something more. Leipzig had some good chances at the start and could’ve taken the lead then. But how we conceded is annoying because we should’ve defended it better.
“We tried to be brave going forward and had some good chances. Our equaliser made it exciting. With a bit of luck, we’d have taken a point. But it was a decent performance. We fought to the end.”
Julian Nagelsmann: “We played well overall and could’ve scored one or two more in that first half. We were energetic and better than we’ve been in recent weeks. So, it’s a deserved win and an important third-placed finish.
“It feels really good to be in the Champions League, especially after such a hard season. I’m happy that the Bundesliga season is finally over.
“I think it’s evident that Timo Werner will leave a big hole in our team. I wish him all the best in London, and hope that he can reproduce the same level of performance there.”
Union Berlin 3-0 Fortuna Düsseldorf
Urs Fischer: “It was not a nice game from us, but we called up everything that was in the tank again. It was a nice end to an outstanding season for us. I am happy that the team gave everything again and was rewarded again.”
Uwe Rösler: “I am incredibly sorry for the fans and the club that after a strong fight for many weeks and months we have not rewarded ourselves with the chance to stay in the Bundesliga. I have to thank the team- they have given everything since I came here.
“We played at the limit for a long time. Today the result is an uncanny emptiness. We just couldn’t get one in. The goals were too cheap for a game that was about everything.”
