Sporting director Sebastian Kehl, head coach Edin Terzic and players Julian Brandt, Gregor Kobel, Niclas Füllkrug and Emre Can spoke following the 1-0 victory over Werder Bremen. The match reactions.
Sebastian Kehl (in the mixed zone): “It was a comfortable victory apart from a period of 10 to 15 minutes in the first half. We were missing a second or third goal, which would have brought more enthusiasm. We had enough chances to score to kill it off earlier. Fundamentally, I’m very satisfied with the performance. I saw good performances from several lads. I would’ve liked for Felix Nmecha for example to get a goal. He was very close and has undergone a really good development. Now you can understood why we absolutely wanted to have this player.”
Edin Terzic (at the press conference): “We picked up a deserved victory. There were many great moments but also two things that we didn’t like: the phase between the 10th and the 25th minutes in which we lacked intensity in the press, and the chance conversion. We scored the goal for 1-0 with our seventh good opportunity. It was possible to take the lead much earlier and it was possible to add a second goal. We didn’t manage that. That made it a close but well-deserved victory.”
Julian Brandt (to DAZN): “I’m very happy – and tired. I’ll be glad to get into bed. Bremen occupied their own box well and made it difficult for us, especially in the first period. We could not find the free man at that point and therefore didn’t have clear chances, which only fell to Marco (Reus) and once or twice to Donny (Malen). But we knew that we would tire the Bremen players out and that they could then no longer go every metre.”
Gregor Kobel (in the mixed zone): “I had hardly anything to do in this game until the shot came at the end. Then I had to be on hand! So you can say that the guys in front of me did a good job. That makes me happy too. We had the game under control. I have the feeling that even more teams will sit deep against us this year. We’ve frequently struggled in the past when the spaces have gotten tight.”
Niclas Füllkrug (to DAZN): “It was a tough game – it needed an early 1-0. Bremen, who usually press early, sat deep and made the spaces compact. After the goal for 1-0, you could see that we had many more opportunities. I kept getting good through-balls into me. For me, it was largely about tying up the opposing players. I had to be available for a pass. Jule did a super job with the goal, showed super timing and finished it off perfectly.”
Emre Can (in the mixed zone): “It was close, it wasn’t easy; you have to win games like that. Long may it continue. We took a step forward again because we didn’t get impatient. We knew that we would get chances. And we put one in the net. That’s what counts. It was a great run by Julian and good timing overall.”