We gathered the thoughts of the players and coaches following Borussia’s 3-2 defeat to Bayer 04 Leverkusen on Sunday evening.
Jonas Omlin: The result isn’t a good one, but I’m incredibly proud to be able to play in the Bundesliga – it was a dream of mine. You hope that you’ll be able to get a win in your first game, but that’s not always how it goes. Leverkusen’s pace in attack is remarkable and giving away possession is punished so quickly. We now have to analyse the game, recover well and then try again for three points on Wednesday. I think we’ll be up against an organised side defensively that will look to counterattack. We will need to be set up well and score our goals earlier.
Julian Weigl: It wasn’t a bad performance from us for much of the game. Leverkusen are of course dangerous on the counter with the pace they have, but we were courageous, we moved the ball around well and we looked to dominate the play. However, we failed to create decent goalscoring opportunities and weren’t quite on the ball in two or three situations where Leverkusen played to their strengths, and unfortunately, that led to their goals. Even if it wasn’t a perfect performance and there are a number of things we need to analyse, there’s plenty we can take away. We showed the right mentality after going 3-0 down and stuck together as a team.
Daniel Farke: It’s very disappointing to have lost the game. You obviously want to come out of the winter break with a win in your first home game to start putting a run together. I told the lads in the changing room that they deserve credit for the way they reacted in the second half. We were up against one of the best counterattacking teams in the Bundesliga, so it’s very hard to find the right balance and get back into the game when you’re 3-0 down. We managed to do that, although we still ended up losing the match. We came out on top in almost every statistic, but there’s only one that matters, and we conceded a goal more than our opponents. It was a tough start for Jonas Omlin – it felt like their first three shots all went in. There’s nothing he could have done about any of them though. It won’t be easy for him to take this defeat, but he’s a good lad, he didn’t show any signs of nerves today and he will have a great future at Borussia.
Bayer Leverkusen head coach Xabi Alonso: I’m happy with how my team played today. We knew that it wouldn’t be an easy match here. It was a very professional and high-intensity performance in the first 70 minutes – we were good both going forward and at the back, and found the right balance. However, there is always an element of risk. One goal can completely change your mindset. Gladbach believed in themselves again after their goal and we weren’t as engaged in the challenges. That’s an important lesson for us. When we play with intensity, we play well. Without it, it’s always going to be tricky.
