SV Werder now haven’t lost for four games, but Frank Baumann didn’t want to speak about this run after the draw in the last home game of the season against a strong opponent in 1. FC Köln. “We can be satisfied,” noted Baumann, something which was echoed by many Werder players and the coach.
“It was important to continue our little streak and get something at home,” said goalscorer Serge Gnabry, whose strike brought Werder level. After the break, the Green-Whites made a tactical change, which was a big reason why almost all the players spoke of a deserved draw after the final whistle.
WERDER.DE summarises all the reaction to this afternoon’s talking points.
Alexander Nouri: “We weren’t good in the first half, we didn’t have enough control or create enough chances. Afterwards we started to get forward and managed to get a goal back. I felt like we could have scored another goal, but I’m still pleased that we got the point.
Fin Bartels: “We found it hard to get into the game in the first half. Köln were dominating the midfield. It was a lot more difficult than we imagined. We played a lot better in the second half and a draw was a fair result in the end.
Robert Bauer: “We found it hard to get into the game and get used to Köln’s style of play. The manager told us to get stuck in at half time and we were a lot better in the second half.”
Nikolas Moisander: “It was a tight game. Köln were really well organised in the first half and put us under a lot of pressure. We had a few good chances in the second half, but the game really could have gone either way after it was 1-1. I think a draw was a fair result.
Robert Bauer: “I had been involved in another challenge, then arrived late on Höger and caught him in the foot. I think that a penalty could have been given for that, but fortunately the referee did not see it.”
Alexander Nouri: “Robert caught Höger’s foot with his own foot, and the referee would certainly have been within right to give a penalty. However, at that speed, it is difficult to make the right decision, but I must admit that we had a bit of luck.”
Frank Baumann: “I could unfortunately not see the situation on the field or on television, so I cannot say with full clarity. If Robert did catch him, then of course we had some luck. That said, there were a few decisions in the game that could have gone in either direction.”
Alexander Nouri: “We actually changed little in the system but there was more of a difference with the three at the back than before. You could definitely see that it helped us. We want to develop more flexibility in the system bit by bit but that of course takes time.”
Frank Baumann: “We had already switched to a back three in the final minutes of previous games but we hadn’t done that as early as we did today.” The change helped us without question.”
Serge Gnabry: “Köln dominated the game and we had problems dealing with their tactics. We didn’t properly get into the game until we changed things after the break. Until today our defensive midfielder always had three opposition players to deal with. We had a much better grip on the game after half-time as we were on a par with Köln’s midfield in terms of numbers.”
Robert Bauer: “We did very well today and we were much more stable defensively after the break. In general it’s good to have several systems at hand. We have enough time to work on that at our training camp. I personally play slightly more defensively because I play on the right side of the back three but I enjoy that just as much as right-back since it gives me the opportunity to put in challenges.
Fin Bartels: “Hoffenheim still haven’t lost a league game yet and also put in a good performance yesterday. It will be an extremely difficult game, but we managed to beat Hertha away from home. We will have to perform just as well as we did in that game.”
Robert Bauer: “Our last few results make me optimistic going into the game against Hoffenheim. We are unbeaten in four games and we go there with a lot of confidence. I am pretty confident that we can take something away from that game, if we put in a similar performance to what we gave in the second half.”
Frank Baumann: “Hoffenheim are the clear favourites, but we want to fight hard. We will need to call on everything we’ve got, be fully focused and show confidence in the game. We are well aware that the Hoffenheim game will demand a lot of us.”
Serge Gnabry: “It won’t be an easy game. Hoffenheim have a similar system to Köln, but nevertheless we are hopeful of taking something from the game. We’re beginning to find ourselves as a team and are playing much better football.”
Niklas Moisander: “Anything is possible in Hoffenheim. In Berlin, we showed what can happen when you underestimate us.”
