We heard from Yann Sommer and the two head coaches after Borussia’s 4-2 win over relegated Werder Bremen in Saturday’s Bundesliga finale.
Yann Sommer: We played well today. We had a lot of good passages of play and worked hard off the ball to limit the space for our opponents. We were a little too passive in the closing stages, which has happened a lot this season. We may have got the win today, but we’re still very disappointed to have missed out on the Conference League. We didn’t lose our grip on Europe today though; we have dropped too many points from winning positions over the course of the season and ultimately, we’ve been punished for it. We never looked for excuses for it – it’s down to us alone. Werder are a fantastic club and relegation is the worst possible scenario for them. I wish them all the best and hope that they’re back playing in the Bundesliga again soon.
Marco Rose: There were no winners here today in Bremen, even though we picked up the three points. We played well for long periods, but then perhaps our thoughts were in Berlin a little by the end and we let in two goals. The overwhelming feeling is disappointment. We were so close to seventh place and European qualification. It would have been important for the club to have been in three competitions next season, not just financially. Unfortunately, we have failed in that regard and that is incredibly painful. I’m very thankful for the two years I have had at Borussia Mönchengladbach. I was made to feel very welcome at the club. The first year and a half was fantastic with a lot of success. After I announced my decision to join Dortmund, the atmosphere in and around the club changed dramatically, then we started losing too many games. You can only turn an atmosphere like that around with positive results and there has been a huge burden on the lads over the past weeks and months. We didn’t have a good enough second half of the season and didn’t achieve our goals. I am still grateful for my time here and leave with a lot of special memories. I hope Borussia can start strong next season.
Werder head coach Thomas Schaaf: We’re absolutely gutted. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to deliver today in terms of going into the game with confidence and conviction. The early Gladbach goal obviously didn’t help. It took us a little time to get into the game and unfortunately, we also missed a huge chance to equalise through Davie Selke. After their second goal, our heads dropped and then it becomes incredibly difficult. We conceded soft goals and were too late with our fightback. We only have ourselves to blame for the defeat. It’s a dark day for SV Werder Bremen. There’s no use in talking about tomorrow – today has already given us enough to think about.
