Lots of counter-attacks, numerous goalscoring chances – and yet Werder couldn’t make the most of their second-half domination. SV Werder got a point against Hoffenheim after a much-improved second period but Werder were left thinking ‘what if’. “I am satisfied with the way we played after the break but I am not as happy with the result. We need the points,” Florian Kohfeldt underlined.
WERDER.DE summarised the quotes after the home draw.
Jerome Gondorf: “We were a bit too timid in the first half. After I came on, I tried to help the team as best I could and I thought I did that quite well. We were much more aggressive in the second 45, we did well to win a lot of the 50/50s and were in the game much more.”
Maximilian Eggestein: “We weren’t good enough in the first half. We knew that Hoffenheim would have a lot of the possession but we should’ve been more courageous with and without the ball. It meant that it was harder for us to create chances. We wanted to show more courage and be more effective with our movement in the second half.”
Zlatko Junuzovic: “The performance was good. They also played well. They didn’t stop running and attacked well but we were strong in defence and we were definitely more aggressive in the second half than the first.”
Niklas Moisander: “It was OK for the first game of the year but there was more in it for us.”
Florian Kohfeldt: “It was a great game for the neutral, especially in the second half, with lots of chances for both sides. The boys tried a lot, perhaps too much at times. I thought our first half performance defensively was good. We neutralised Hoffenheim’s threat for most of it but we weren’t relaxed enough in possession and we didn’t push forward far enough nor was our build-up play good enough. That is much easier to do in an Algorfa training camp than in front of 40,000 people against a tough opponent.”
Frank Baumann: “Hoffenheim are a really good team who showed that today and they made life hard for us. I was really impressed by how much character we showed after going behind. We pushed forward a lot and created chances even though we knew how dangerous Hoffenheim could be on the counter.”
Frank Baumann: “With a bit of luck we could’ve got the win today but it’s no use to lament that now. We are on the right track and we need to continue to work week in, week out."
Maximilian Eggestein: “I think both teams put a lot in today and Hoffenheim had chances to win it. The point doesn’t feel great but I think the point is a fair result considering the performances of both teams.”
Jerome Gondorf: “I’m not satisfied with the point personally. We had lots of chances in the second half and we deserved the win.”
Max Kruse: “He played the ball with his hand, it was a clear penalty. If it’s come at you from a short distance you can debate it but he slid and was on the floor for a good five seconds. If that isn’t a penalty then what is? It’s a frustrating decision.”
Florian Kohfeldt: “It is hard to say, I haven’t seen the incident on TV yet. By the looks of it, it seemed like a handball and a penalty but I don’t want to assess the situation having not seen it yet.”
Maximilian Eggestein: “You could see after the Leverkusen game that Bayern are beatable. We will need to be compact and keep on closing the gaps as Leverkusen did. We will also need to be really courageous.”
Zlatko Junuzovic: “I don’t think we need to really talk about Bayern’s quality. It doesn’t matter who starts for them, or who sits on the bench, we’ll be going into the game feeling positive after today. It’ll be a challenge, but we still want to win every game.”
Niklas Moisander: “We don’t have anything to lose. Bayern are in a league of their own this season, but nevertheless, we want to come away with points.”
Florian Kohfeldt: “Bayern are clear favourites, that much is clear. But we’re not going to just give up without giving our all. That would be completely the wrong approach to have. We need to play the way we did in the second half today for the whole 90 minutes next week.
Florian Kohfeldt: “Ishak picked up a knock to his foot very early in the game, which restricted his mobility. He wanted to battle through, but by the 50th minute he had to come off. Jerome Gondorf not only gave us some fresh legs on the pitch, but he also gave us something else tactically. He tried to bring some life back into the game, and I’m really happy with how he played. Ahead of the game, he was one of the loudest in the changing room - his approach to the game is exceptional.”
Florian Kohfeldt: “Robert has impressed lately, and he’ll be rewarded for that in due time. I encourage him to keep working hard. Both he and Theo did really well in the training camp and give me two great options going forward. I decided to select Theo, because he’s had a bit more experience in the big games recently, and his goal today proved me right.”
