The final whistle blows, and the dust settles 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 1.
Werder Bremen 0-4 Bayern Munich
Ole Werner: “We didn’t show as much bravery as we could’ve done in the first half, which was likely the cause of the first goal. We played really well for most of the second half, but couldn’t utilise our chances. We threw everything at them and that led to conceding more goals.”
Thomas Tuchel: “We played a very solid, very good game from start to finish, had no ups and downs, neither in concentration, nor in energy or compactness. We did our thing. There was a difficult phase at the beginning of the second half, but we got through it together. We stayed patient and didn’t do anything crazy.
“The all-important second goal was the deciding factor in taking home the three points. We had a good mix between controlled play and quick attacks. Our counter-pressing was good, we didn’t give them much space. I felt we all worked well together for the whole 90 minutes. This is a good first step.”
VfB Stuttgart 5-0 VfL Bochum
Sebastian Hoeneß: “Overall it was a really good performance. Sometimes games go like that, and we contributed a lot towards that happening. Having said that, we need to put this match behind us during the week before we travel to Leipzig. But I don’t get the feeling that any of the players are getting ahead of themselves. We know what our strengths are, but the last couple of years have shown that it suits us to keep our feet on the ground.”
Thomas Letsch: “Congratulations to Sebastian Hoeneß and VfB on the win. Otherwise there is not much to say today. That’s not how you should present yourself at a Bundesliga opener. We missed everything a Bundesliga game is about. We can only apologize to all of our fans who traveled with us.
“We never managed to put VfB Stuttgart under pressure, didn’t put up a fight and made the wrong decisions even when we had the ball. For all of us – every single one – the following now applies: We have to be very critical and consider how such a performance came about.
Bayer Leverkusen 3-2 RB Leipzig
Xabi Alonso: “Against a team like Leipzig, it’s normal that we suffer a bit. We have ambitions but we can’t be stupid and we have to respect every game. We always have to prepare well. And if we start the season well, we might have a good chance at the end.”
Marco Rose: “We’re really disappointed. We want to win games. What we set out to do didn’t work out today. Despite the goals we conceded, we came back and managed to catch up before the break. We gained more control after the break .The 1:3 was very unfortunate.Now we’re going home empty-handed.
“We weren’t there in the tackles and Leverkusen did it cleverly. It’s not easy to play here. But three goals are too much. We know what we can do and that we can do better.”
Augsburg 4-4 Borussia Mönchengladbach
Enrico Maaßen: “It was a bitter end to the game, but I would like to emphasize the positive today. The way the team performed was great – in terms of mentality and morale as well as in terms of football. Pass rates, goal chances, running distance, tackle rates, sprints – we were doing very, very well. Of course, the goals conceded come far too easily and in the end it’s very annoying that we get penalties like that against us in stoppage time.”
Gerardo Seoane: “In the end, the positive feeling of having taken a point with the final second prevails. Compliments to the team for this morale. She tried to come back until the end. The players who came on also caused chaos and set the tone.
“Overall it was a game with a lot of emotions. On the one hand we defended well at times, on the other hand we made mistakes and didn’t put enough pressure on the ball in our own third. If you concede four away goals, you can’t be happy as a coach. This game will definitely need a long analysis.”
Hoffenheim 1-2 Freiburg
Pellegrino Matarazzo: “I’m obviously dissatisfied because I don’t think the defeat is unnecessary. Freiburg got into our half far too easily. We didn’t put enough pressure on the crossers. Even though the first goal we conceded was unfortunate, the rest of our defence wasn’t good. It was decent offensively, we created chances, but unfortunately our defensive behaviour broke our necks today.”
Christian Streich: “We had a few problems in preparation and didn’t know where we stood. Hoffenheim is very well staffed and flexible in the game structure. That’s why we opted for a 4-2-3-1 system. The boys showed a great performance. We had a lot of chances to score and were very present. In the end, we didn’t win undeservedly.”
VfL Wolfsburg 2-0 Heidenheim
Niko Kovac: “In the first half we not only scored very good two goals, but also created two or three other promising chances. We were a bit more passive in the second half, it wasn’t what I had imagined. After the preparation, no one really knows where they stand. So overall I’m satisfied. We can build on this achievement. It’s not perfect yet, but no team will be able to claim that after the first day of play.”
Frank Schmidt: “Of course we’re disappointed, no coach or player likes to lose. The first half didn’t go as we had hoped. We really wanted to avoid falling behind early on. Unfortunately, we didn’t manage that, which is also due to the quality that Wolfsburg brings to the pitch. But I liked the reaction of the boys. I’m almost completely satisfied with the second half. We did a lot to get back into the game, but you saw what made the difference today: the callousness in front of goal.”
Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Köln
Edin Terzic: “There wasn’t much that we liked today. We liked that we won the game and that we were dangerous by set pieces, we’ve worked a lot on that over the last few days and weeks. We tried to provide impetus with changes.
“Gregor was the reason why we kept a clean sheet and were able to win it. There were two or three really good reactions from him on the line, where on the one hand you have to say: that’s his quality. But on the other hand there was also a bit of luck because Cologne couldn’t take the good chances. We need a good goalkeeper to achieve our goals. We would have liked to have needed less of him today. We’re dissatisfied.”
Steffen Baumgart: “It’s difficult for me to find the right words. We played well away from home, especially in the second half. I’m more than satisfied with the guys, they gave everything. It was a great team performance. We acted boldly and had good chances. Max played a very good preparation. Today we felt it was right to bring him. Rasmus noticed how intense the Bundesliga is. From our point of view, however, he did a very good job.”
Union Berlin 4-1 Mainz
Urs Fischer: “In a phase where we weren’t good, Freddy keeps us in the game. That was important. The rest of the day was mostly very good too, I’m thinking about how we set up the goals for example. Our crosses came perfectly and then Kevin just had a feel for the situation. We didn’t know exactly where we were before the game. We did a lot of things very well today, but I also saw things that could be done even better,”
Bo Svensson: “It’s no secret that they’re crossing. We’re simply rolled out the red carpet for Kevin Behrens, you have to say that. Overall, my team was far, far away from the opponents.”
Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0 Darmstatdt
Dino Toppmöller: “We are very happy to have won the hard-fought game and to have given the spectators a derby win. Darmstadt did well. We had a lot of possession but could have played faster. Overall it was a decent performance. When you’re up by just one goal, it’s always a close game. Darmstadt then starts to play with a lot of long balls and had advantages in terms of height. The two injuries were definitely not an advantage. Due to Tuta’s injury, we later missed a planned change option, which is why we made the change relatively late. We would have liked to have brought the three boys earlier.”
Torsten Lieberknecht: “We are of course massively disappointed that we were not rewarded despite a controlled and courageous performance in the first half and a massive performance in the second half. The chances were there and the quality of the chances was also on our side. After the cup was gone, it was a game of encouragement, I was aware that the lads were ready at those moments. We’re disappointed it would have been possible to take something countable – and that wouldn’t have been undeserved. Then we made a mistake in the first half, on the other side we weren’t lucky to finish.”
