Werder fought for the win. The Green-Whites picked up a huge three points in Hoffenheim to keep their dream of getting a European place this season alive.
Werder fought for the win. The Green-Whites picked up a huge three points in Hoffenheim to keep their dream of getting a European place this season alive.
Florian Kohfeldt: “It was a very intense game. Our passion made it a fun game. Today it was about throwing ourselves into every challenge. The key was to play as compact and as clever as we did today. We wanted to defend with three at the back, to get the full-backs high up the pitch. We wanted to take their defenders on one-on-one in the final third. We’re going back home now and we’ll prepare ourselves for a real final. Today we could only lose, but next week we can win something.”
Frank Baumann: “It’s always difficult to win in Hoffenheim. The team were rewarded for their play early, but unfortunately we couldn’t build on it so the game remained open. It stayed a bit nervous to the end. Maybe the win was a bit lucky towards the end, but it was deserved.”
Johannes Eggestein: “Obviously I’m happy to score, but it was a lot more important that we won. We knew that only a win would keep us in the running. I think that this win keeps the entire season going. The team played outstandingly, and Jiri was superb especially. We were always able to get ourselves out of difficult situations. And it was the same today. We can just be proud of how we defended today. Now we have one game left and we’ll look at it all at the end.”
Claudio Pizarro: “We can be pleased today. The mentality was the deciding factor today. The whole team fought until the last second and pushed themselves to the limit. It was an important win that we earned through a great team performance.”
Kevin Möhwald: “We were fully focused on our game. We didn’t start so well, because they came forward with a lot of power. But we knew that, and we also got a better grasp. They obviously had some dangerous chances, but you can’t really prevent that against Hoffenheim. Because of the risk that they then take, you have to wait for your chance to strike. I think our compactness was the key to the win today, even though they won almost every header going forward. I also think that we could have played out our counter-attacking chances better today.”
Florian Kohfeldt: “On the one hand our situation has improved, but on the other it has got worse. We can no longer catch Gladbach. We know have a final on our hands, where we still are massive underdogs. This is the final that we wanted though. We have stayed close to the top seven all season and have always fought back after setbacks. I imagine that the Weserstadion will be rocking. We want to do our job and see where we end up. Nobody considered us to be in the running for Europe, but we’re still close. Even if we don’t reach Europe, I would like everybody to congratulate my team for collecting 50 points and reaching the semi-finals of the DFB-Pokal.”
Frank Baumann: “It was like a semi-final today. Now we have a final at home next week. The only thing stopping it being a final is that a win won’t necessarily be enough for us. We still have to be there in case the teams around us falter. I’m confident that our fans will push us on. Qualifying for Europe would be a reward for the hard work that we put in week in, week out.”
Ludwig Augustinsson: “The game today was like a final to us. We could have perhaps scored more goals, but the main thing is that we won the game. We still believe in our chances and will do everything on the last matchday to reach Europe.”
Claudio Pizarro: “We just have to see what the teams around us do on the final matchday. Nevertheless, we will still give our all to try and beat Leipzig.”
Kevin Möhwald: “We wanted to have something to play for on the last matchday, which we’ve achieved now. Now we have to do our own work. We’re excited for games like next weeks; it’s always better when games mean something. I think that the stadium will be rocking. The fans will make a real noise and we desperately want to win the game.”
Florian Kohfeldt: “You cannot replace Max like for like but today, Johannes Eggestein did the job. He is often in the penalty area when we are on the attack. The way we handled the absence of Max shows that we have many players in the squad with great quality.”
Frank Baumann: “Today we were missing key players but we have always emphasised that we fully trust our squad. Some players haven’t been playing regularly recently. We are convinced though that everyone in the squad can help us get points. Theodor Gebre Selassie has played a lot recently. He was already a doubt before the game. The way he picked up his injury was weird. I think that nothing is broken. Milot Rashica’s injury is bad. He felt like he was going to throw up and that may be because of the workload he has had recently as well.”
Kevin Möhwald: “Everybody in the Bundesliga knows that Max is a quality player, but today we proved that we are a good team and that we can defend well too. I think we used this to our advantage today. Obviously you miss players when they are out, but we coped really well. We found good alternatives and I was proud that we never stopped playing our brand of football.”
Florian Kohfeldt: "Over the years, Hoffenheim have been developing in the same way we would like to be. Not exactly the same, but I hope we are on a similar path. We want to stand for bold football. Big respect to Julian Nagelsmann. He has taken this club from relegation battlers to Champions League candidates. He really is an extraordinary coach."
