The game between SV Werder and Bayer 04 Leverkusen was an open and end-to-end game. The Green-Whites came from behind once again in front of a crowd of around 30,000 fans and secured a well-earned point away at Champions League participant Leverkusen, drawing 1-1. “The game could have gone either way,” said the scorer of Bremen’s equaliser Milos Veljkovic after the game at the BayArena.
WERDER.DE have summarised the post-match interviews from the away game against Bayer 04 Leverkusen:
Ole Werner: “Today was a clear improvement in performance from the Augsburg game. We played with a lot more clarity again. It was a game that had different phases. In the first half, Leverkusen had the better of the game and we defended well as a backline. The second half then belonged to us. Both teams had chances to go into the lead earlier in the game. At the end of the day, with the way the game went, I can live with a point, especially when you consider the opposition we played against. I am very pleased with the performance.”
Marvin Ducksch: “We prepared a lot for the game and implemented a lot of this on the pitch. Obviously, we knew the kind of tempo the game would be played at. We got a feel of that once or twice in the first half. So my compliments to us for how we defended this. We also created a few good opportunities. Even if we didn’t take some of our good chances our plan worked. I am happy that we were rewarded with an equaliser today. We played well.”
Milos Veljkovic: “The game could have gone either way. The goal against us happened when we were unfortunately a man down. That was unlucky, but we have shown once again that we never give up and were rewarded with a point.”
Ilia Gruev: “All in all, it is a fair result. It was a good game with chance on both sides. It is completely normal that against an opponent like Leverkusen we were put under pressure at the back. As a promoted side, to get a point against a team in the Champions League is perfectly fine.”
Marco Friedl: “If you consider the way the game went, we can be happy with a point. It was fully deserved. We wanted to be hard to play against and make the game difficult for Leverkusen, which we did well. Both teams had clear-cut chances in open play to win the game.”
“The pace they play at is hard to defend against, but we blocked shots well in the box and defended crosses well.”Mitchell Weiser
Romano Schmid: “First of all we were playing against Leverkusen. We can’t forget that they just won against Atletico Madrid, one of the best teams in the world. Obviously they had chances, but so did we. If we had played better on the counter, we could have done even better. The bottom line is that it was a fair result and a good one for us.”
Mitchell Weiser: “The pace they play at is hard to defend against, but we blocked shots well in the box and defended crosses well. That’s what is was all about, we did this well. We can live with a point, but if the game had gone slightly differently and we had taken the lead, we could have got more out of the game. At the beginning of the game we had a lot of chances. We put the preparation in to win the game, but the way the game went, we can be pleased with a draw.”
Ole Werner: “The goal against us could have been prevented if we had got out to Demirbay more agressively. Unfortunately we were a man down in this situation, which certainly tipped the scales. If you give Bayer this kind of freedom, this kind of goal can happen. But it says a lot about us as well that we came back again after that.”
Milos Veljkovic: We could have defended it better but against an opponent like Leverkusen you can’t stop everything. It was a lovely goal but the way it cam about was very frustrating.”
Ole Werner: “Up till now we have done a good job in most games. But we still have to keep developing week after week. Since the summer we have taken a big step forward, but we can’t stop now.”
Marvin Ducksch: “We can definitely be happy with it, even if I think that we could have picked up a couple more points. Nonetheless, we can be happy with the points we have.”
Romano Schmid: “If you look at the table, even if it doesn’t say anything yet, we have made a good start. If you look at the games then maybe we could have achieved a few more points. Now it is just about keeping working hard and the points will follow.”
