There certainly weren't any fireworks when Stuttgart and Werder clashed on Sunday afternoon at the Mercedes-Benz Arena, but the Green-Whites emerged with a point to take...
There certainly weren't any fireworks when Stuttgart and Werder clashed on Sunday afternoon at the Mercedes-Benz Arena, but the Green-Whites emerged with a point to take...
There certainly weren't any fireworks when Stuttgart and Werder clashed on Sunday afternoon at the Mercedes-Benz Arena, but the Green-Whites emerged with a point to take back to Bremen thanks to Anthony Ujah's equaliser. "We're pleased with the point," said Werder coach Viktor Skripnik, and defender Jannik Vestergaard concurred with his manager: "We came to take three points, but given the way the game unfolded, we're happy with the point. I think that if you look at the second half, the draw is fair."
For the Danish centre back, it was a "typical game between two sides who are struggling. Of course we know that fans want to see wonderful football with great performances from both sides, but we also know where we are," said Vestergaard. Picking up a point supplied some confidence after two recent defeats. "We saw that we have the ability to come back as a team. That gives us strength."
WERDER.DE has put together the quotes from the Green-Whites from the mixed zone at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.
On the game:
Anthony Ujah: "It was hard to get into the game in the first half. Stuttgart controlled it, but in the second half we played much better and deserved the point."

Thomas Eichin: "Our problem is that the boys only start playing bravely when they have their backs to the wall. We take too long to find our way into the game. In the first half, VfB were clearly better, but in the second we were noticeably stronger. It was a deserved point, but we need to work on our first-half performance and be bolder."
Clemens Fritz: "Our first 45 minutes were bad. We were more aggressive in the second half and we fully deserved the point. We lacked some composure, but that's normal when you're under pressure. We need to work on that and improve our self-confidence. A second-half performance like today's helps in that regard. I'm happy that we found a goal. We'll take the positives from this game and work hard."
Levin Öztunali: "It's a shame that my shot against the bar at the end didn't go in. We worked hard during the week. It's good that we at least got a point for our efforts."
Viktor Skripnik: "Stuttgart wanted to put on a passionate performance in front of their own fans, and we tried to make them uncomfortable whilst remaining patient and composed. We managed that at times, but at other times not. We were too nervous in the first half, but I'm happy that we came back."

On the set pieces:
Thomas Eichin: "We wanted to create some uncertainty with our set plays. For that to happen, the delivery has to be good. The first ball is key. We'll continue like that in the next games."
On the penalty shout:
Anthony Ujah: "For me, it was a clear penalty. There was contact. The defender even apologised to me for the foul. I needed five minutes afterwards until everything was okay again. It's unlucky for us, but errors are part of football."
Levin Öztunali: "It was clear straight away that he clipped Tony. You have to give a penalty for that."
Viktor Skripnik: "It could have all gone so differently if we'd been given the penalty. Everyone saw that it should have been, but it's in the past now and there's no use debating it. Mistakes are part of the game."
Thomas Eichin: "The referee knows himself that it was a penalty, but nobody is blaming him. Everyone on the pitch is human."

On the remaining December fixtures:
Jannik Vestergaard: "We need to be calmer on the ball and more determined going forward. We want to dominate the game against Köln and record a win at home."
Thomas Eichin: "We said that we wanted to take points from our last three games before the winter break. We started today. We want to finally give our home fans a win to celebrate when we face Köln."
On Junuzovic's injury:
Viktor Skripnik: "I don't think it's anything serious. Juno has some pain and he'll be assessed tomorrow. We'll see afterwards."
Zlatko Junuzovic: "The shoulder isn't dislocated, but we'll have to wait and see if the ligaments are damaged."
On his calm demeanour on the sideline:
Viktor Skripnik: "I looked calm at the start, but I wasn't inside. It wouldn't help anyone if I shouted or ran around aimlessly. However, I was fairly emotional at the end."
