Netz: “We created our own luck”

Luca Netz spoke in an interview about the 2-2 draw against Leverkusen, the shift to a back-three and the last game of the season at home against FC Augsburg.

Luca, after going 2-0 down in Leverkusen you turned it around to 2-2. How would you sum up the game?

Netz: In the first half, we couldn’t really get into the game and made a few simple mistakes. Leverkusen deserved to go into the break two goals ahead. In the second half, we fought very hard, threw everything at them and therefore deservedly got two goals back.

Both of your goals came from Leverkusen misplacing passes. What did you make of the goals on the pitch?

Netz: Of course, we benefitted from those mistakes, but I think that we created our own luck to some extent. Especially for the second goal, we pressed very well and got into a goal-scoring position. Lars Stindl had just missed a big chance to level the game. At the end of the day, the equaliser was well deserved in my opinion.

Yesterday you played a back-three for the first time in a while. How was that for you?

Netz: I felt very comfortable because it’s always good to know that you have someone behind you who can back you up a bit. We are used to this system and therefore had no big problems with it. In the end, I personally ran out of steam a little bit, but overall I think we managed it quite well.

How difficult is it to defend against such quick players?

Netz: You really have to be switched on at all times. Leverkusen are certainly one of the best teams in transition in Europe. All over the pitch they have lots of pace with players like Frimpong, Bakker, Wirtz, Adli and Diaby. It’s not easy to defend against that team. You have to be compact and we did that well apart from the two goals conceded. Especially in the second half, we hardly gave them anything.

Your last game of the season is against FC Augsburg on Saturday (15:30 CEST). What is your aim for this last game?

Netz: We definitely want to end the season with a win. Our outstanding fans deserve another three points. The way they supported us yesterday in Leverkusen despite being behind was really phenomenal.