"The difference was clear - Leipzig were ruthless"

Hope for a single point flared briefly in the added time of the home game against RB Leipzig, but ultimately SV Werder Bremen were forced to accept a 2-1 defeat against the Champions League hopefuls. While the Green-Whites were relatively satisfied with the level of their performance, the end result left them understandably disappointed.

Head Coach Daniel Thioune: “In the first half, we matched up to one of the top teams in the division. At times, we were even the better side. Yet once again, we failed to convert our chances during that period. The difference became clear: Leipzig were contrastingly ruthless, scoring from the chances they created. Their second effort was a tough one to concede, it was quite a sobering moment. Our own goal came too late, ultimately. At the end of the day, we need to win matches to stay in the league. It will be tough otherwise. With the upcoming games against Köln and HSV, though, we’re coming up against teams more on our level; we need to play well again here and be ruthless ourselves.”

Captain Marco Friedl: “Especially at the end of that first half, we were playing really well. It's a shame that we headed in for the break a goal down. We were able to create good chances, but failed to find any consistency in our finishing. This isn’t just a problem today; it’s been an issue throughout the season. We then made it too easy for Leipzig after the restart. Our consolation goal just came too late, so ultimately we deserved to lose.”

Goalkeeper Mio Backhaus: "We played a really decent game against a strong opposition and we didn't get anything out of it. We weren't quite good enough in either box today, that's really the key. I can't come up with too many areas that we were truly lacking in. We showed great mentality and did well in our duels, which makes it even more frustrating to have lost in the end."

Olivier Deman: “We were looking good in the first half, but the goal went in at a really frustrating time for us. We had a good chance ourselves, and ten seconds later, they go and score. We created a decent amount of pressure but couldn’t convert much. After the break, the pace of the game dropped slightly, and we scored our goal too late. Right now, it’s not about how well we’re playing but about how many points we’re picking up.”

Romano Schmid: “We weren’t precise enough in our play. Against a top opponent, you have to take your chances. That said, we gave a good account of ourselves, which gives you confidence for the next games. It was clear from the start that we wouldn’t win everything, but a lot looked promising. We switched off at the start of the second half, which we can’t afford to be doing in our situation. We need to analyse that and work on it. There’s a lot of work ahead, and we have to start scoring again over the next few games. We’re fully aware of the situation, so we need to pick up points next weekend.”

Managing director for sport Clemens Fritz: “We played well in the first half but failed to see any reward. That’s what you need against a team like this, and it was similar in the reverse fixture in Leipzig. When conceding, we had the numerical advantage, but they possess a level of individual quality when it comes to finishing that we didn’t show today. Going 2-0 down was a blow, even though we came back into the game and worked hard until the final whistle. It’s a shame it wasn’t enough.”