FIRST TEAM
09/17/2017

Reaction after #TSGBSC: “Very difficult to break through”

Here’s what the players and coaches had to say after the 1-1 draw between TSG and Hertha BSC on the Bundesliga’s fourth matchday.

Julian Nagelsmann: The first half was alright, even if we missed some really big chances. We weren’t great in the final third and we didn’t get in behind as much after playing well up the wings. We defended very passively for the first nine minutes after the break, which is why we conceded. But we played well after that. We put them under a lot of pressure but they were standing extremely deep – much deeper than in the first half. We had to be on guard for their counterattacks but we defended those well – they only had one good attack. They had lots of men in their box so it was very difficult to break through; to do it, we’d have to make six or seven absolutely spot-on passes in a row. Hertha were really great in defence today; not many teams could create chances against that, and today it didn’t go as we’re used to. I think the draw is a fair result and I can live with a point.

Pál Dárdai: We wanted to take something away from Hoffenheim, because it hasn’t been going so great so far. We wanted to stand our ground and press forward in midfield after winning the ball to hurt them down the middle. We didn’t want to give away any set pieces either. It didn’t work too well, as you could see when we conceded: TSG are excellent in this area. Nevertheless, we kept going and held our shape in defence. Both sides were evenly-matched in the first half, but we were more aggressive after the break and then everything started to come together. The play leading up to the goal was very nice. We have to be happy with a point after a good away game, but I’m not only pleased with the point, I’m also happy about the rice pudding in the changing room here. Thanks to Hoffenheim – I haven’t had a rice pudding that good in a long time – unbelievably nice.

Oliver Baumann: We were playing well up until ten minutes into the second half, then we were too passive and conceded the goal, which is why we lost two points this afternoon. We missed the big chances up front. We had most of the possession but that doesn’t count for anything at the end of the day. It was just so hard to break through. I think a lot of teams will play like that against us. I’m not satisfied with a point, ten minutes more and we’d have come away with two more points today, which is annoying. Apart from that, we had the game under control.

Benjamin Hübner: We had to come away with three points today. We played badly for ten or 15 minutes after the break and we were punished for it – we were just too passive. I don’t know why we lapsed, but it wasn’t due to fatigue. We were dominating and put them under pressure and we really wanted a second goal at the end. We were the better team and put a lot into the match, which is why I’m frustrated to only come away with a point.

Andrej Kramaric: The game was similar to the one against Braga. We went into the lead but didn’t win the match. We started the game really well, then we started to drop off a bit, but we were still the better team. In football, the better team doesn’t always win, though. We just have to score a second goal in games like this. The opponents made it hard for us because they were standing so deep, which is a difference to how teams played against us last season. We have to adapt to it because we won’t get so many chances anymore.

Alexander Rosen: We have to live with only getting a point, and we can. We controlled the game in the early stages and scored quickly. We had the game under control afterwards too but didn’t get many chances. We played poorly for a while either side of half time; we were very passive and we didn’t defend well. We got our control back on the game after conceding but it was very difficult. The boys wanted to dominate in order to create chances, while Berlin were standing very deep and wanted to defend. They did a great job of it and managed to come away with a point.

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