The final whistle blows, and the dust settle on the previous ninety minutes. But the press soon wants to get the opinions from the Bundesliga trainers whether they have won, lost, or drawn. Here’s what they had to say following matchday 7.
Mainz 1-1 Hertha Berlin
Bo Svensson: “We didn’t play a good first half, we were lacking a lot. I didn’t like it in terms of football and attitude. In many phases of the game, we didn’t put on the pitch what we had planned. In the second half we wanted to get back into the game through the tackles. Of course, we’re happy that we managed to get the lucky punch at the end.”
Sandro Schwarz: “We put on a very good performance in the first half” Schwarz said at the final whistle.” We were very brave and very consistent in our defensive stance. In the second half, the big problem was that we got into the wrestling match. We failed to put the lid on it. To concede a goal with the last action feels brutal.”
Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Schalke
Edin Terzic: “Playing such an intense game after 122 kilometers in Manchester: We did really well! We were very aggressive, we were very intense and we were very clear. We didn’t create as many chances to score in the first half, but we got on very well in the last third. We knew it was going to be very passionate and very emotional: we accepted that part of the game. It was about three points. They’re the sweetest points we can win in a season.
“We didn’t want to let this issue of tiredness come up in the first place. We want to play intense football this season and always be able to dominate the game. We did that well today. It was a completely different task than on Wednesday in Manchester.
“That’s why we had to change a few things, that’s why some fresh legs slipped into the starting XI. We’ve prepared for the fact that there’s only three days between games and that we need everyone. We have the derby hero of the day in a seventeen-year-old.”
Frank Kramer: “We fought really hard in an intense game today. We had a few moments with the ball in the first half in which we could have knocked it about a bit more. We played with real power and were focused at the back, they didn’t have many chances. The pressure kept on increasing throughout the game and we couldn’t stop that.
“We were too sloppy on the ball to create chances. Our defending for their goal wasn’t solid enough. We didn’t stop the cross and didn’t pick up the attacker in the box and that meant we went behind. Even though we gave everything at the end, we couldn’t get back in the game.
Bayer Leverkusen 1-1 Werder Bremen
Gerardo Seoane: “We saw different phases in the game. The whole game lacked clarity in the last 20 meters in timing and the finishing. We are not efficient enough. We have to get a goal or two out of these situations. I can’t live with the result, we’re disappointed with it.”
Ole Werner: “A equal game, and an equal result. We can live with that. We let the game get too wild in the first half. We lost the ball too much in the first half, which caused Leverkusen to transition. We reacted well in the second half.”
Augsburg 1-0 Bayern Munich
Enrico Maaßen: “I’m proud of my team. If you want to beat Bayern, you have to fight. We had to suffer, we had to run hard off the ball and conceded chances. We have an exceptional goalkeeper and an exceptional backline. I’m proud we were able to pull it off. Of course, we can say luck played its part, but the team deserved it.”
Julian Nagelsmann: “We had a lot of chances. We wasted a lot of presentable opportunities, we were too lax in the final third. Augsburg played with real courage, they pushed everyone forward. We conceded, and from then on it was tough.
“We just wasted loads of chances. At the end of the day, we’ve not been picking up enough points. We’ve had plenty of chances to win.”
VfB Stuttgart 1-3 Eintracht Frankfurt
Pellegrino Matarazzo: “We are not satisfied with the performance and the result. Getting three set-piece goals against us hurts. After the 0: 2 the plug was somehow pulled. I would have liked more strength and energy towards the end. We weren’t focused enough to win a Bundesliga game.”
Oliver Glasner “I’m very pleased with the performance, of course. The lads implemented everything we asked of them. They were passionate and had a positive mentality. This was our fifth game in 14 days. With two victories this week, we’ve finished on a high [before the international break]. Most of us now get a well-deserved break.”
Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-0 RB Leipzig
Daniel Farke: “We showed a very good and complex performance. Our pressing intensity was unbelievably high in the first half. We were very dominant and had a very good structure when we had the ball. We were also sure of the ball and had good counter-attack protection. At the break we deservedly led 2-0.
“In the second half we were a little lower because we didn’t want to run into counterattacks. Despite that, we had good control and many phases of possession. Even after the third goal we still had good transition situations and great chances for more goals. Then we didn’t allow anything defensively.
Marco Rose: “We started slowly, maybe because of Wednesday night. We had phases with the ball, but weren’t as good with it as Gladbach. We weren’t direct enough and you can see that when you look at the shot count.
“We had several situations where we should have been more dangerous. Gladbach were excellent on the counter and deservedly won the game. It’s been an intense week and we have to put it into perspective. We’ve got a lot of work to come.”
Union Berlin 2-0 VfL Wolfsburg
Urs Fischer: “We deserved to win it. The first half was even – we had our opportunities and so did Wolfsburg. In the second half, though, the team showed a very mature performance. I was really impressed, I have to say. Three days after a European match, with a difficult journey back, they ran 122 kilometres and put in a huge effort to win this match. A great performance from my team.”
Nico Kovac: “That was a deserved win for Union. From the first minute, we didn’t know how to put up more of a fight and more passion. And everyone knows how Union have got to the top of the table – with passion, heart and fight. We needed to show that today ourselves and we didn’t. Subsequently we made two mistakes which then led to goals. The result is completely fair.”
VfL Bochum 1-1 Köln
Heiko Butscher: “First and foremost, we are disappointed to concede the equaliser so late. Köln are incredibly strong, we had to counteract them with our means. In the second half we didn’t use the transition moments well. In the end we had to be careful not to concede the second goal. We’ve got a point now and we’ll pick the lads up again, VfL Bochum will definitely not give up, we keep going.”
Steffen Baumgart: “We saw a good game from both teams, which we dominated for long stretches. It was a very good attitude, a good fighting performance from my team. We can live with the point, but in one or two instances, there was more in the game for us.”
Hoffenheim 0-0 Freiburg
André Breitenreiter: “It was a match between equals. We saw that Freiburg have a very strong team, but we also saw that we can hold our own. It’s a fair result. In the first half, we lacked composure and precision in possession and didn’t play our positional game. But we then performed better in the second half; in my view, we had the better chances but were not lucky enough for one of them to go in. However, that perhaps wouldn’t have been deserved. The draw works for both teams.”
Christian Streich: “We expected a game exactly like this. Hoffenheim are very stable and have a strong team. My boys gave everything and had strong spells in the game. TSG have so much quality that you cannot stop them having chances. We have produced good performances in two consecutive games – both ending 0-0, although there were enough chances. I have to take my hat off to my team. In the end, the draw is deserved because both teams had chances.”
