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.
RB Leipzig 5-1 VfB Stuttgart
Marco Rose: “We already did a lot of things well in the first 45 minutes. Stuttgart are a good footballing side and demonstrated that for periods.
“We really got into the game well after the first 15 minutes. We had chances and looked dangerous. Despite the resistance that VfB put up after the break, we looked even sharper, scored lots of goals and fully deserved to win 5-1.”
Sebastian Hoeneß: “We are able to play good football away against good opponents, as we did in the first half. It was a really good game in the first half. We played very passionately and had a good structure.
“After that we lost the game. That hurts. In the second half we paid a fair amount of our dues. We have to learn from that. It was impressive what a force RB Leipzig developed”.
Freiburg 1-0 Werder Bremen
Christian Streich: “It’s nice for Milli [Maximilian Philipp] that he had such a debut. Milli is home again. The win wasn’t undeserved. Bremen did really well today. They had a clear routine – it was a difficult game for us. It was great how the team got better with every minute in the second half had space. Then we managed to create four great chances to score. Pavlenka made some outstanding saves.”
Ole Werner: “We are very disappointed. First and foremost because the performance today has to be enough to take something with us from the away game. We were at least level in terms of the share of the game. Freiburg had clearer chances, that was our shortcoming, that we didn’t get enough on goal from very good spaces and good situations.
“We defended well over long stretches, especially the line at the back. There were a lot of blocked shots, a lot of situations where a player got his foot in. The big chances in the first half, which Pavlenka saved well, came from own ball possession. That’s why I can be satisfied with the performance today. The result hurts all the more.”
Köln 1-2 VfL Wolfsburg
Steffen Baumgart: “Wolfsburg had three chances in the first 25 minutes, then we got the game under control better. We had a few situations in the penalty area, but nothing clear. In the end, it’s the same: You have to be there 100% percent, not 99%.
“Like last week, little things cost us. We felt we could do better in both games. Eric Martel took a hit on the hip. From his point of view, he could have continued playing. But I said we have 32 games left, we also have to make sure that the players stay healthy.”
Niko Kovac: “We made a very good start, did really well up to the 25th minute and should have taken the lead. However, FC also had a really good goalkeeper in their team. After that we had a spell which didn’t go as we wanted and ultimately FC were able to apply more pressure.
“After the opening goal out of the blue in the second half, the team responded really well. They wanted to win the game and fashioned the goals really well. All in all we deserved to win on the basis of the good goalscoring opportunities.”
VfL Bochum 1-1 Borussia Dortmund
Thomas Letsch: “Thank you for your kind wishes. I have to say birthdays are fun. I don’t know how many people congratulated me today. From the start we played very bravely, very aggressively and very passionately. We knew that it was risky to attack BVB from the first to the last minute and then be able to counterattack. But we chose this path. We didn’t take the lead undeservedly.
“We knew that Dortmund would be in a rush, but we didn’t get through it completely with the goal we conceded. After that it was a wild ride. I’m absolutely proud of the team. It was a huge performance from everyone. I’m very happy with the 1-1, it’s a fair draw, even if a small part of me says there was more to it.”
Edin Terzic: “I’ll try to keep it short. It was a game we’re not happy with, both in terms of performance and result. We played against a very passionate team and we didn’t do well. We missed a lot in the first half, but we got on a little better in the second half. In the end it was very open, two teams fought for victory. Our performance wasn’t enough to leave the pitch as winners. That’s why we can’t complain.
“We knew what to expect. But we just allowed it. If you’re not ready to conquer second balls, if you’re not ready to make duels 50/50, 60/40, then it will keep it open and then it will be difficult.
“Marco is an extremely important player for us. Not only in this season but also in previous years. He took it [not being subbed on] like everyone else who isn’t on the pitch and wasn’t happy. It’s also perfectly fine that he didn’t take the decision well.”
Heidenheim 2-3 Hoffenheim
Frank Schmidt: “Right from the start, the team implemented what we wanted and what we can do. We continued after the missed penalty and deserved to make it 1-0. We controlled the game in the first half. In principle, we didn’t allow anything and deserved to make it 2-0. After that, we didn’t take advantage of a huge counterattack chance, and the goal then caused us problems.
“Then it was a different game. Unfortunately, we quickly equalized and then the penalty against us. I wouldn’t even have been satisfied with a draw today, we should have won the game. It was a really good game from us, so the disappointment outweighs the disappointment.”
Pellegrino Matarazzo: “It took us a long time to call up our performance. In the first half we completely forgot about our attacking football. We had no control and no dominance in the game. Heidenheim managed that we only found a few spaces and often had to play long balls. The substitutions gave us a different kind of energy on the pitch, which turned the game around.”
Darmstadt 1-4 Union Berlin
Torsten Lieberknecht: “Congratulations to Union Berlin on the win. The game didn’t start perfectly with the early 0-1 where we didn’t defend well both in the air and on the ground. Nevertheless, my team was tireless and dealt well with the majority. That’s how we got a really well-played goal through a good positional play. But the killers of the game today were the set pieces, where we were very weak.
“The Unioners, on the other hand, showed their qualities and set piece strength. But what I also saw was a team that stuck with it and still had good chances after 3-1 and 4-1. We came close to scoring the second and third goals in the second half. These are small, positive steps. We have to stay with ourselves and keep supporting the team.”
Urs Fischer: “It was a crazy game, that’s how I would describe it. I have to pay my team a huge compliment for their mentality and morale and how they dealt with the yellow-red card and the equaliser. After the 1-1, we needed a few minutes to shake ourselves. But the team always stuck with it.
“We defended compactly, tirelessly and with a lot of passion. We certainly had a bit of luck in one situation or another when Darmstadt could have scored the goal. All in all, it was a fantastic performance from my team.”
Borussia Mönchengladbach 0-3 Bayer Leverkusen
Gerardo Seoane: “We didn’t play the way we know we’re capable of today. We didn’t manage to withstand the pressure from the other team, to remain compact and alert. Only after Leverkusen took their foot off the throttle towards the end did we manage to somewhat find our footing. We lost possession too often in the first half. Our opponents also pressed hard and forced us into giving up possession. Despite the scoreline, the team still fought hard, which the fans appreciated. We’re grateful to have them and for the support they showed us at the end.”
Xabi Alonso: “We played well today and controlled the game. The opening five minutes were a bit hectic from us, which is why we lost some of our control. We improved after that. I’m pleased with our performance and with the result – it’s exactly how we want to perform. Now, we want to remain focused and take it game by game.”
Mainz 1-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
Martin Schmidt (sporting director): “It feels like a defeat with the late equalizer with a majority. That’s why it’s extremely frustrating. We failed to score the second goal before, then it would have been calm. Something can always happen at the back, it doesn’t matter, whether you are one more or less. It is positive that Phillipp Mwene celebrated a top debut.”
Dino Toppmöller: “We’re obviously pleased to have got the equaliser in added time. It was a very tough game. The opener came from an individual mistake and the half-time deficit was deserved, to some degree. The team showed great character in the second half and we had some great chances. The second yellow card was a harsh decision, but you’ve seen them given. Our goal was very well played and just reward in the end.
“The game was on a knife edge and there was never much in it. It’s completely normal to be emotional – that’s part of football and as a coach, you have to set an example. Considering we only arrived back from Sofia on Friday, we fought very well in terms of intensity. We were running on empty at the end. It speaks volumes about the lads’ character that we didn’t concede after going a man down.”
Bayern Munich 3-1 Augsburg
Thomas Tuchel: “Of course we’re happy with the result, you can see that on the faces of the players. I’m happy to see the players celebrating. Nevertheless, I still see potential for improvement. At the beginning of the game we weren’t free enough, so we had to get an own goal and a penalty to solve the whole thing. Then we finished it solidly and gained confidence. In the end it was a deserved win, even if we unfortunately conceded a goal. But we just have to look at the positive things. It’s all about victories.”
Enrico Maaβen: “We’ve done a lot of things that we set out to do really well. The first 30 minutes were good, we even had a chance to make it 1-0. Then we almost give ourselves the goals. It’s annoying that we go into half-time 0-2 despite this very good performance. In the end we didn’t have the strength to keep up the high pressure like in the first half. It’s nice that we didn’t give up after going 3-0 down, that’s not a given.”
