Whistles from the crowd, hanging heads on the pitch. The 2-1 loss at home to Augsburg has not done Werder any good, and that has been reflected by the players and management of the club. After the game, WERDER.DE caught up with the stars to gather their reactions.
Clemens Fritz: "We need to get the second goal or just get a home win under our belts for once. Instead, today we conceded the equaliser; that can’t be allowed to happen. In a relegation battle you have to defend with your lives and we just made too many simple mistakes and didn’t win the challenges that mattered. What annoys me most, however, is that our set-pieces weren’t effective. We need to be more alert because we had already spoken about this."
Viktor Skripnik: "After they equalised we had enough time to retake control of the game but we just played long balls. We lacked a reaction to their goal. We looked shaken and you really noticed the nervousness to make mistakes, especially from the young players. We hid away and failed to support each other. I didn’t see us going for every ball with all we had."
Thomas Eichin: "We weren’t lifeless in the first half but we didn’t make the right choices at the back or up front. Both goals we conceded were silly, which could prove fatal for us. We can’t allow it to happen."
Clemens Fritz: "We’re very frustrated; it’s hard to find the right words. We’re in the relegation spots again and there’s real danger now. The season goes right until the last day, though. We have to remember that."
Thomas Eichin: "We will talk tonight and tomorrow and decide what route we want to go down for the rest of the season. We need to know that the training staff, management and squad move forward as a unit. It is necessary to take the right measures and not do something that we might regret doing a few days later."
Viktor Skripnik: "This result hasn’t done anything for us. We won’t stop now. We’ll keep believing in ourselves. I see the hope in the team and the quality they have. I won’t leave. Throwing the towel in five games before the end of the season isn’t something I would do. We will fight to the end."
Thomas Eichin: "The team are sitting in the dressing room in a state of shock. I’ve never experienced anything like it. This defeat has had a massive impact mentally."
Clemens Fritz: "Football is played in the head. After the equaliser we began to think about it too much. When you concede at least two goals per game it’s no wonder that conceding is unsettling."
Thomas Eichin: "The fans supported us right to the final whistle but showed their discontent afterwards. They have every right to do so. I am sure, however, that they won’t abandon us."
Clemens Fritz: "I frustration of the fans is understandable. We have a big task on our hands."
