Fritz: "Nobody will be going home satisfied"

Clemens Fritz noticed his team raising their level but left unsatisfied with the result (photo: nph).
First Team
Saturday, 17.10.2015 / 20:37

They battled with commitment and made life hard for their opponents, but in the end left empty-handed. It's a fair assessment of the tight 1-0 defeat to Germany's most...

They battled with commitment and made life hard for their opponents, but in the end left empty-handed. It's a fair assessment of the tight 1-0 defeat to Germany's most successful club and current league leaders. "We were very good today but nobody will be going home satisfied. The long and short of it is that we've lost a Bundesliga game," captain Clemens Fritz explained after playing his 250th Bundesliga match for Werder. "We could have taken more from it," the captain added, and it is an opinion shared by manager Viktor Skripnik, who emphasised: "Regardless of whether you're playing against Hannover or Bayern, a loss is a loss. Today's was our fifth in a row. We're not happy about that."

WERDER.DE put together the most important quotes after the final whistle:

On the game:

Clemens Fritz: "We needed to be bolder in the first half; we only really got going in the second period. We made some good chances for ourselves, the sort of ones you need to take if you want to have anything to show for the game."

Felix Wiedwald: "We turned off for a second when we conceded, and when you do that against Bayern, the ball will end up in the back of the net very quickly. It was a typical Müller goal. In general, we were organised and compact in defence. We made it hard for Bayern to create chances, which I was pleased with."

Ujah had two chances to equalise but couldn't beat Manuel Neuer on either occasion (photo: nph).

Anthony Ujah: "We did a few things better today than in recent games, and we showed that we can compete against the very best. For that reason I'm optimistic about the future, but we did lose today, which hurts. Our fans were very, very loud. It's a shame that we couldn't bring them any points."

Santiago García: "After the break, we took more risks, played a more attacking game and created chances, but we couldn't take any of them. I think Manuel Neuer is almost unbeatable. Despite that, I'm proud of our fight and our performance today."

Viktor Skripnik: "We put in a disciplined performance, but that alone doesn't help us very much. We've left empty-handed once again."

On the current situation:

Thomas Eichin: "We got a better result against Bayern than Dortmund or Leverkusen have in recent weeks, but I don't think there's any point making comparisons. We're only focused on ourselves. I wanted to see a response from the team today and we saw exactly that. Before the game we tried to take the pressure off the team. I said that we didn't necessarily expect to take anything from the game, and unfortunately that was how it played out. In any case, the performance was pleasing."

Felix Wiedwald: "We've had to deal with a lot in recent weeks. Losing five in a row is obviously less than acceptable. If we show our grit and determination from this game in our coming matches, I'm sure we can get back on track."

Felix Wiedwald had to pick the ball out of his own net in the 23rd minute (photo: nph).

On the missed chances:

Viktor Skripnik: "I'm pleased that we were able to create chances against one of Europe's top teams, but I would obviously be more pleased if we'd converted one of them."

Anthony Ujah: "It's obviously a shame that I couldn't score any goals today, but that's not really the most important thing. I'm not just thinking about myself, but about the team as a whole."

On the team's tactics:

Viktor Skripnik: "Obviously we don't just go out there and play as it pleases us. The plan was for Bargfrede to drop back and make the middle tight when our opponents had the ball. When we were attacking, Bargfrede played closer to Fritz and we used our quick wide men to create chances."

Clemens Fritz: "Bargfrede took some of the pressure off the full backs today. We knew that Bayern like to create one-on-one situations out wide. I think that for the most part, our plan worked well."

Thomas Eichin: "Everyone knows that we normally set ourselves up with attack in mind. Today the plan was somewhat different. We wanted to be tight at the back, keep it goalless for a while and remain both competitive and comfortable in defence. This strategy almost paid off fantastically. Unfortunately we conceded earlier than we'd planned."

On the next game in Mainz:

Clemens Fritz: "We'll spend the next week focusing on the Mainz game and not thinking about the fact that we have a very important midweek fixture afterwards. We'll see what comes afterwards."

Viktor Skripnik: "It's not very important to me that my first game as a manager was in Mainz. It's all about the team and their current situation. It's important that the boys are focused. Mainz have just lost at home so we should expect a response from them."

Your web browser ist outdated.
The web browser you are using is no longer supported.
Please download one of these free and up to date browsers.
Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge
Chrome Firefox Edge
Google Chrome
Mozilla Firefox
MS Edge
Why should I use an up to date web browser?
Security
Newer web browsers provide better protection against malware, data theft and other threats to your privacy and security. Up to date browsers continuously close security holes that allow attackers to enter your computer.
New Technologies
The technologies used on modern websites are better supported by newer web browsers. This both increases functionality and improves the website layout. By benefiting from new functions and extensions you will be able to surf the web faster and easier.