Interviews: “Changed the system a bit”

Thomas Reis (head coach VfL Bochum 1848): Everyone saw that we were against it in the first half. We hardly won any duels. Nevertheless, Hertha were unable to create many scoring chances. Things got loud during the half-tiem team talk. We tried to correct a few things and changed the system a bit. Sebastian Polter brought in a physical presence. The quick equaliser then helped us. We’ll have to talk again about the first half. But what makes me feel positive is the team’s morale. That shows that the development is progressing. That’s why I’m absolutely satisfied with the point.

Tayfun Korkut (head coach Hertha BSC): We played a very, very good first half. Clear game control, a lot of energy and intensity. The opener was then highly deserved. We wanted to keep playing like that, but we caught the equaliser right after the break. That changed the game a bit. Ultimately, we have to live with the point. We will orient ourselves on the first half and hopefully land a better result next week.

Maxim Leitsch: We were simply not good in the first half. It got a bit louder in the dressing room, but that’s completely understandable given our weak first half. After that, we changed things up a bit and got a good grip on the game defensively. The point is very important for us. Three points would have been better, of course, but after the way the game went, the draw is completely okay.

Sebastian Polter: We didn’t have a good first half. We didn’t get into the challenges, Hertha stood very tight. That was clearly addressed in the dressing room. In the second half, we did a lot better. Before the game, we had already planned to play long balls and get into deep areas. That worked well for my goal. I’m glad that I was able to help the team with my performance and my goal. Whether from the start or as a wild card – the team and the club are the most important thing. You have to put yourself in the back of the queue sometimes. In the end, we’re very happy with the point.

Gerrit Holtmann: Our first half was simply not good enough. We couldn’t exert any pressure up front, that’s when it started. So Hertha was able to just play through. In the end, the point is a bit happy, but not undeserved because of the second half. Polti is very important. He directly radiated dominance and was in every duel. The fact that we scored the equalizer so early gave us confidence. That was enormously important. We’re happy to take the point.

Armel Bella Kotchap: The point is very important for us. We fought for it after we had a hard time getting into the game. Because of the second half, I think we deserved the point. We have become even closer as a team in the past weeks and months. Every single one of us knows what we have to do.