‘We’re not looking for excuses”

The reaction to the Leipzig game
Leonardo Bittencourt and Co. couldn't do enough against a strong Leipzig side (Photo: nordphoto).
First Team
Saturday, 21.09.2019 / 22:04

In the 83rd minute, when Saracchi finished off a Leipzig counterattack to make it 3-0 to the visitors, the Werder fans stood in unison and showed an exceptional reaction. "We threw everything at this game and I think you could see that in the fans’ reaction," said a disappointed Florian Kohfeldt. It was indeed a moment that perfectly summed up the defeat. A Green-White squad riddled with injury problems saw their efforts come to nothing as Leipzig deservedly won the game and returned to the top of the table. WERDER.DE heard from the team after full time.

On the match:

Leonardo Bittencourt played in front of the home crowd for the first time (Photo: nordphoto).

Philipp Bargfrede: "We started the game as the better side, but you simply can't concede goals from set pieces against such a good opponent, no matter how good the free kick was. We gave it everything we had, but ultimately it wasn't enough. We can’t sit around and feel sorry for ourselves, we need to stay positive and everyone agreed with that after the game."

Leonardo Bittencourt: "They defended deeply and made it difficult for us to break them down. Unfortunately it just didn't go our way today. We were missing that final ball. Overall, Leipzig deserved the victory and did well to score from two set pieces."

Michael Lang: “They didn’t have many chances in the first half, even though they had a lot of the possession. We created some good chances of our own. Their first two goals came from a corner and a free kick, and after that it was difficult for us to defend against them as they played at such a high tempo. It just wasn’t our day. The defeat is a bitter pill to swallow because we really believed that we could have won. 

Florian Kohfeldt: “I have a lot of respect for how my team played today. Of course RB had more of the possession, but we gave everything we had. Over the course of the game we had the better chances, such as Davy’s opportunity in the first half. We were up against a top side today and ultimately deserved to lose.”

Frank Baumann: "It was a well-earned victory for RB. We had a plan in place but unfortunately we went to sleep on a set piece and conceded another wonderful free kick. When you do that against a team like them, that's when it's difficult to come back. If we'd have made it 2-1 in the second half, and we had the chances to do so, it would've been a different story. But we didn't manage it and Leipzig closed out the game very smartly."

On the current personnel situation:

Maximilian Eggestein and Philipp Bargfrede were available again for Florian Kohfeldt (Photo: nordphoto).

Philipp Bargfrede: "We had a lot of players missing again today and will have to play some of the boys for the next few weeks. We don't have a lot of our main players, but now others have a chance."

Leonardo Bittencourt: "Time will heal the wounds. We can only put out who we have available, but we will not moan about injuries. "

Michael Lang: "Winners search for solutions, losers for excuses. I think that applies to us. No one is looking for excuses, nobody in the dressing room is crying. Everyone is trying to push on. I think that's the most important thing, also for our fans. We move together as a team, everyone supports each other. We have eleven injured and yet we can still put out a good team."

Florian Kohfeldt: "In recent weeks we've picked up mportant points in Berlin and against Augsburg with a decimated team. I assume that some players will come back next week. Philipp Bargfrede is back, Maximilian Eggestein is back, Ömer Toprak and Sebastian Langkamp are possible candidates to return. Milot Rashica was on the bench today, but I would only have brought him on in an emergency."

Frank Baumann: "We showed how we can cope with hardship. It was definitely not a bad performance against the league leaders this evening. In times of difficulty you have two options, either you bury your head in the sand or you try to make the best out of the situation. It's a chance for us to get closer as a group, and for new players to show what they can bring to the table.”

On the next game:

Philipp Bargfrede made his return after 4 months out (Photo: nordphoto).

Philipp Bargfrede: "We have already shown that we can beat Dortmund – in the cup for example. We’re going to prepare for this game now and then we want to win there, no ifs or buts."

Leonardo Bittencourt: "Next weekend we can put things right again. No Bundesliga game is easy. This game will be a special occasion in front of a full house, and we want to spoil the party."

Florian Kohfeldt: "We’re not doubting ourselves – we’ve won in Dortmund before as well, it’s not as though we have to lose there. We’ll go there and try to win, that’s our mentality."

Frank Baumann: "We trust those players who are available. It might be true that there is the odd player in the squad now, who is used to playing in the regional leagues. Every player that comes back from injury is important for us, because we don’t have a lot of time to react. However, we do have a chance in Dortmund. We’ll fight for that bit of luck we’ve been lacking."

 
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