Werder went into half time in Gladbach trailing 2-0, a score line that didn’t really reflect the balance of power out on the pitch. Werder started poorly on Friday night, but came back in the second half with a vengeance. By the end, it was a draw that was a moral victory and a point that felt a whole lot better than the ones earned against Mainz and Hoffenheim. The Green-Whites were clearly relieved after the game, but also left a little room for self criticism.
Florian Kohfeldt: “We played poorly in the first half. It was a shame to concede two goals, but we weren’t quite as bad as the score suggested. We changed things up in the second half and were more aggressive going forward. The boys did really well, but I’m not fully satisfied. In short, we didn’t expose the Gladbach centre backs’ lack of pace like we had hoped to. I thought our left side functioned very well, but we lacked a bit of attacking force on the right. As it stands at the moment we have a three point lead on the relegation places, but we’ll have to see how Mainz and Wolfsburg fare on Saturday. Overall, it’s a very important point against a Gladbach team with a lot of quality.”
Thomas Delaney: “We were very disappointed with our performance in the first 15 or 20 minutes. After that, we worked our way back into the game, bit by bit. We have a lot of belief in our ability as a team, which we showed in the second half to be rewarded with a point. Aron has the eye for goal, which he showed again today.
Frank Baumann: “We always have the chance to win, even against teams like Gladbach. We didn’t play well enough in the first half. We were much better in the second 45 and pushed for the equaliser.”
Ludwig Augustinsson: “It was a shock to go behind as soon as we did and in the manner that we did, as we planned things to go a lot differently. The second half was light and day compared to the first half. With a bit of luck, we could of got a third goal. We had the chances.”
Milos Veljkovic: “Credit to the team. Everyone knew what their job was at every moment of the game. The coach told us to believe in our abilities and we listened to him. We demonstrated that in the second half particularly.”
Marco Friedl: “We spoke to each other at half time about what didn’t go so well to that point in the game. We went on to dominate in the second half.”
Florian Kohfeldt: “We showed character and quality. It’s the team spirit. I said to the lads that if we could get a goal, we’d be right back in the game. All the boys on the pitch were trying to turn things in our favour. A big thanks to our analysts and assistant coaches too. We’d really worked hard on rehearsing our corner tactics. Miloš did well and Thomas’ execution was incredible. It was a textbook shoulder (laughs). It would be presumptuous to say that we should have won, but the point is very well deserved.”
Thomas Delaney: “Of course we’re delighted with the point – it was a great comeback from us today, but we made some errors in the first half, so we’ll go over and analyse those. Nevertheless, we’ve experienced draws which have felt worse.”
Frank Baumann: “Florian made it clear to the team during the break that it was still all to play for. That gave the lads a great boost to turn things around.”
Aron Johannsson: “Mönchengladbach are a fantastic team and tough opponents, so we can be proud to have come back like we did, but we have to remember that it is only one point. Despite my goal, I can’t feel completely satisfied. I would have liked to have scored a second.”
Thomas Delaney: “To be honest, my feet feel like chunks of ice. It’s not exactly pleasant, but it’s a part of the game. It wasn’t a big problem in the first half, but the ball became a bit slower in the second half.”
Ludwig Augustinsson: “Just because I come from Scandinavia, doesn’t mean that I like such cold conditions when playing football. It was very, very cold.”
Marco Friedl: “After I was brought off the pitch, I thought that my feet were frozen over, but the other team had to deal with exactly the same problems.”
Florian Kohfeldt: “The fans were sensational as always. For parts of the game, they were actually louder than the Gladbach fans – that was a big plus for us.”
Marco Friedl: “The support from the fans was amazing. They make away games feel like home games.”
