“Could have taken a point, if not all three” – #RBLBMG reaction

We gathered the thoughts from the players and coaches after Borussia’s 3-0 defeat to RB Leipzig on Saturday afternoon.

Joe Scally: The result is frustrating. We implemented our game plan well in the first half; we were solid defensively and created some decent chances. It was similar to the Freiburg game: we had some good opportunities against them too, but we just couldn’t find the back of the net. We need to keep working so that we can get back scoring goals. Alassane is a fantastic player and we’re very happy that he’s part of our team. We win together and we lose together.

Christoph Kramer: We could certainly have taken home a point today, if not all three. It was a good performance, but all anyone will see is that we were beaten 3-0. It’s extremely frustrating to come away without any points, because then you start to find yourself where we are in the table. Alassane Plea knows that he could have done better in those moments, but unfortunately, as a footballer, you’re always going to have the odd moment like that. I don’t think that he will need picking up off the floor or any extra sympathy from us, but it was no doubt a painful one for him today.

Jonas Hofmann: Leipzig had the majority of possession, so we sat deep and compact, which was our game plan. We wanted to break quickly after winning the ball, which we were able to do a few times and created some good chances, but unfortunately, we weren’t able to take the lead. Going 1-0 down so soon after missing the penalty hurt. It’s strange to say that we played well after a 3-0 defeat, but I still felt that we worked hard, did a lot of running and created chances. We will go again on Friday against Bremen at home and will aim to pick up all three points.

Daniel Farke: It’s very hard to accept a 3-0 defeat, because it was a really good away performance against a top side for the most part. Leipzig controlled the game in the first half by holding onto the ball and had a lot of set pieces. We always looked compact and well organised though. We didn’t allow them a clear-cut chance in the first 45 and had four decent openings ourselves, but we weren’t effective enough with them. The same story continued into the second half with Alassane Plea’s header and then the penalty. When you’re playing against top teams at this level, you need to be clinical if you want to pick up points. Then we went 1-0 down after we gave the ball away, which was completely avoidable. That changed the momentum of the game. We still reacted well and put them under some pressure. I can’t really fault the team’s display, but when you lose 3-0, you’re disappointed and clearly didn’t do everything right.

RB Leipzig head coach Marco Rose: We struggled to create much of a goal threat in the first half. We were a little sloppy at times and we had to be careful of Marcus Thuram and Jonas Hofmann on the counter. The game could have gone in a very different direction in the second half, which would have made it incredibly difficult for us after the tricky first 45. It was crucial for us that Janis Blaswich saved the penalty. I felt like that jolted the team into life. Timo Werner’s goal was struck with a lot of incisiveness and belief, something we were missing in the first half. The 3-0 scoreline flatters us a little perhaps, but it was still a deserved and important win.