Post-match reaction following defeat in #BMGB04

Hear from Jonas Omlin, Florian Neuhaus, Julian Weigl and head coaches Gerardo Seoane and Xabi Alonso following tonight’s 3-0 defeat against Bayer 04 Leverkusen.

Jonas Omlin: I think we saw that Leverkusen were the better side tonight. In the first half, we failed to play to the standard that we know we’re capable of and were immediately punished by conceding two goals. It’s difficult to only defend against a team with so many strong, technical players. We only rarely managed to break through in attack. We improved slightly in the second half and had more possession, but Bayer deservedly won in the end due to their individual quality.

Florian Neuhaus: Today clearly showed how strong Leverkusen are. Several of their players managed to find gaps to exploit and they have a lot of pace up front. We never really found the right solution and deservedly lost as a result, even if we had a few good chances of our own. We wanted to remain compact, but ended up conceding twice in the same manner because we lost our shape. Leverkusen were the dominant team tonight. Nevertheless, we owe it to ourselves and the fans to play well at home. We know that we’re capable of beating any team at BORUSSIA-PARK. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to do that today, but we won’t let this set-back get to us. We will analyse the game and come back stronger.

Julian Weigl: When you lose 3-0 at home, then you can’t expect to still have the fans backing you up and shouting encouragement your way. To see such a reaction after the full-time whistle and to get to play in front of these fans each and every week makes us very proud. That’s why it’s important that we recover the strong home form we know we can have. We never looked like we were going to win today. We have to accept that and move on. Today, we gave our opponents far too much space and didn’t put them under any pressure at times. We wanted to not give them any room; instead, we left them with far too much. Leverkusen are an extremely talented side. We tried to defend until the end, but you’re bound to concede against a strong side like that. It’s very frustrating. The third goal killed us off entirely. We need to analyse our mistakes and drastically improve.

Head coach Gerardo Seoane: We didn’t play the way we know we’re capable of today. We didn’t manage to withstand the pressure from the other team, to remain compact and alert. Only after Leverkusen took their foot off the throttle towards the end did we manage to somewhat find our footing. We lost possession too often in the first half. Our opponents also pressed hard and forced us into giving up possession. Despite the scoreline, the team still fought hard, which the fans appreciated. We’re grateful to have them and for the support they showed us at the end.

Head coach Xabi Alonso (Bayer Leverkusen): We played well today and controlled the game. The opening five minutes were a bit hectic from us, which is why we lost some of our control. We improved after that. I’m pleased with our performance and with the result – it’s exactly how we want to perform. Now, we want to remain focused and take it game by game.