"Disappointed but not despondent"

Werder fought hard but lost the game (photo: nph).
First Team
Sunday, 01.03.2015 / 21:32

The Bremen players came out for the second half in high spirits but their outlook changed in eight short minutes...

The Bremen players came out for the second half in high spirits but their outlook changed in eight short minutes: Having been 3-2 up at the break they found themselves 5-3 down after 53 minutes. After the game, we spoke to the players and manager about the match.

Thoughts on the game:

Skripnik saw positives and negatives (photo: nph).

Clemens Fritz: "We attacked well but made life too easy for them at the back. We started the second half slowly and we can't afford to do that. We gifted Wolfsburg three goals, there's no two ways about it. We have to admit our mistakes. We can't try to hide our shortcomings."

Felix Kroos: "We had chances to gain something from the match but as a group we turned off at key moments. Not every team is as clinical as Wolfsburg. You only lose games like this against two teams - Wolfsburg and Bayern."

Viktor Skripnik: "It's a shame that we didn't pick up at least a point. Despite the defeat, my team were impressive. We looked to play football throughout the match and scored three goals against one of the best team in the league. Unfortunately, we weren't at 100% for the full 90 minutes. However, there are more positives than negatives."

Sebastian Prödl: "It was a hard game against a tough team. In the first half we were relentless and capitalised on the fact that they had played in midweek. Ultimately, their individual quality won them the game. We're disappointed but not despondent.

Zlatko Junuzovic: "We lost the game in the first 10 minutes of the second, which is why we're so disappointed at the moment. We were lacking the little bit of experience needed to hold on to a lead against a top side. We managed to stand up to them, which is something we've been working on for the past few months. We'll continue to improve."

Thomas Eichin: "We want to play attacking football at home. We did this in the first half and the support from the fans helped us stay in the game. Maybe we were a bit too euphoric, which saw us lose concentration. What happened immediately after the break was avoidable. It's obviously difficult to turn a game around against a team like Wolfsburg."

Thoughts on the effect a defeat will have:

Levin Öztunali set up two of Werder's three goals against Wolfsburg (photo: nph)

Clemens Fritz: "We won't be knocked down by this loss. We should have some stability by now. We've been solid defensively in recent weeks. I hope that conceding five goals was just a blip."

Felix Kroos: "We knew that a setback would come sooner or later, and we can deal with it. We will quietly go about digesting the result and then fully focus on the game on Wednesday. We will carry on working like we have been doing. There's no need to change anything and we can take positives from today's match. Nevertheless, it's naturally still very frustrating."

Viktor Skripnik: "We're in a better mental state than we were in the first half of the season and we even showed good responses back then, like our win against Dortmund three days after losing to Gladbach. I hope that can be the case this time too."

Thomas Eichin: "We have to keep our chin up and learn from this defeat. We're in the middle of a developmental process; we have rid ourselves of this touch of naivety."

Thoughts on the current standings:

Clemens Fritz: "We will continue to look over our shoulder in the league. It would be wrong for us to be happy with scoring three goals."

Zlatko Junuzovic:
"We've not been looking at the table, our goal was just to improve out situation. This hasn't changed. Our aim is simply to confirm safety as soon as possible."

Viktor Skripnik: "We haven't achieved our primary goal yet. We're currently ninth in the table, I'm sure a lot of teams would like to be where we are."

Thoughts on the cup game in Bielefeld:

Viktor Skripnik: "I'm looking forward to the next challenge. Bielefeld won't fear us. They're top of the third division and are playing at home. It will be a close-run thing, but if we go into the game with enthusiasm and passion, we can justify our role as favourites."

Zlatko Junuzovic: "We can take a lot of positives from today and look ahead with optimism. It was clear that we'd lose a match at some point or another. We won't let it get us down though; we'll carry on working hard to make sure we improve."

Thoughts on the fans:

Thomas Eichin: “Our fans understand how football works. They’re able to appreciate that we’re unable to keep up the pace against a side like Wolfsburg over 90 minutes. Our fans are simply different to others.”

Viktor Skripnik:
"It's the Werder of old. Our fans are very positive and helped push us. Their support is important for the players."

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