"We couldn't find a way through"

Stuttgart match reaction
Werder can only manage a 1-1 draw against Stuttgart. (Photo: nordphoto).
First Team
Saturday, 23.02.2019 / 00:26

Von Alexander Werner und Yannik Cischinsky

Werder had to settle for a 1-1 draw at home to Stuttgart on Friday evening. “We didn’t find a way through,” against a team that sat very deep said Captain Max Kruse. Florian Kohfeldt agreed, saying “There are two or three methods against an opponent that sits so deep. Long-range shots, that worked once. Crosses that rarely worked. There wasn't enough room for runs from deep. It didn't work well."

WERDER.DE brings you all the key quotes following the 1-1 draw against Stuttgart.

 

On the game:

Davy Klaassen equalised for Werder shortly before the break. (Photo: nordphoto).

Florian Kohfeldt: "That was a very complicated game. Stuttgart were able to stop us from doing a lot of the things we wanted to. The goal we conceded was due to poor defending on several fronts. First we weren’t in position, then we failed to adjust our body positions. The goal played into Stuttgart’s hands. They stood very deep and we weren’t able to find the means to deal with it."

Sebastian Langkamp: "The result isn’t good enough. We couldn’t win, so we are disappointed. It was a tough game, in which Stuttgart sat deep from the 10th minute onwards and we weren’t able to break through. We slipped up at the start, that was bad. We need to do better there. There were a couple other situations too where we should have defended better."

Max Kruse: "The opening goal was our only error. It could have been 2-0 after ten minutes, then it would have been game over. Pavlas saved us. We simply weren’t awake in the beginning and therefore fell behind. We had an insane amount of possession, which says a lot about Stuttgart’s game plan – they sat deep and defended for their lives. We weren’t able to break them down."

Maximilian Eggestein: "The early goal shouldn't have happened. After that we knew it would be difficult. We had a few good chances that we couldn't take. 1-1 is obviously not enough for us."

Davy Klaassen: "We played a team that only wanted to defend. The early goal meant that that was possible. We didn’t use our chances effectively enough. 1-1 feels like a defeat."

On the table:

Joshua Sargent made his starting debut on Friday night. (Photo: nordphoto).

Florian Kohfeldt: "We haven’t lost a game for two months, but it’s not enough to just avoid defeat. We need to win, which is why we aren’t happy today. Of course we can still qualify for Europe. We have two chances, via the league and the cup."

Max Kruse: "We had hoped for more than just a point, that’s frustrating. We wanted to put pressure on our league rivals with a win today, which we failed to do. Europe is still in our reach, however. We need to see how Wolfsburg do. Next week will be a mini-final for us against them."

Sebastian Langkamp: "Expectations and reality aren’t matching up right now. A draw against a team in the relegation zone is below our expectations. We need to look at where we’ve come from, where we were last season. We don’t need to adjust our goals; we still have chances to pick up points."

Davy Klaassen: "Getting Europe isn’t impossible, despite the result. But it’ll be a very difficult task that we have to take on."

Maximilian Eggestein: "We want to get Europe, we’re not forced to. There are a lot of strong teams fighting for the European places. We have to prove that we belong there."

On Sargent's starting debut:

Florian Kohfeldt: "It was a decent starting debut. The whole team weren’t quite at it today, the same goes for him. He worked hard and created space. I’m a long way from being unhappy with him. When I went and sat down by him at lunch today, he couldn’t help but grin. You could tell he wanted to stay professional. It’s obvious that he’s delighted to be playing at just 19. It won’t be his last Bundesliga start."

On Bargfrede's absence:

Florian Kohfeldt:  "My idea anyway was that Nuri Sahin’s quality on the ball could be useful against a deep-defending team like Stuttgart. Bargi forced that decision. He won’t be out the team long and will probably be training again on Tuesday. It’s not a bad injury, just a knock."

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