Tietz: “Too sloppy in the final third”
Reaction from the 0-0 draw against Hoffenheim
The match between FC Augsburg and TSG Hoffenheim ended goalless after 90 minutes. Here’s all the reaction from the game.
Jeffrey Gouweleeuw: “For me, that’s two points dropped. We played well from the start and were just missing that goal because the final pass wasn’t good enough. We had to take our chances, because if we’d scored that first goal, we would have gone on to win the game. In the second half, Hoffenheim took control and it was difficult for us to regain the initiative. You also have to say that Oliver Baumann was very impressive in goal. In the end though, our first league clean sheet gives us a lot of confidence for the challenges ahead.”
Mert Kömür: “We had to do a lot of defending, and were able to keep a clean sheet. Towards the end, we had a few attacking situations, but couldn’t take our chances. We tried to press, but Hoffenheim often played through it well. I’m not satisfied with a 0-0 draw, because our aim was to win. Nevertheless, I’m pleased to get 30 minutes under my belt today and I want to keep working hard.”
Arne Maier: “If you can’t win a game like this, you have to defend well and keep the clean sheet. We managed that, although we would have liked to have had all three points. We started well and had our chances, but couldn’t take them. In the second half, Hoffenheim started the better, but we stood strong defensively. Of course for me personally, it was great to be back in the starting line-up, but ultimately it’s about the team. We’ll take the point, analyse the game and keep working hard during the international break.”
Phillip Tietz: “We can be happy with the fact that we kept a clean sheet, but we should have taken our chances in the first half. Now and then, we were missing a little bit of luck going forward. We were good defensively, but we need to be less sloppy in the final third to score goals. After the break, Hoffenheim improved and we weren’t completely on top anymore.”
Jess Thorup (FC Augsburg head coach): “We played very well in the first half. We had a lot of shots and gave very little away defensively. Unfortunately, we didn’t start the second half well and the opponents controlled the game better. The substitutions helped the team and we had two or three big chances to win the game at the end. Sadly, we didn’t take those opportunities. The positive thing though is that we did really well off the ball and kept a clean sheet. If you can’t win the match, the next-best thing is a draw.”
Pellegrino Matarazzo (TSG Hoffenheim head coach): “We were very passive against Augsburg to start with. After around the 30-minute mark, we made a few tactical tweaks and then were more comfortable. We were the better side in the second half, while Augsburg were better in the first. We had more control and competed well, but we were missing that cutting edge to score a goal. The draw shows our team’s work rate and determination. It’s definitely a positive to get a clean sheet away from home.”
