“We gave the ball away too often”

It was an evening which started well but turned into a disappointing trip. Following a good opening phase, the Blue-Whites lost their winning run and the points with a 2-0 defeat at Hoffenheim. “We gave the ball away too often, so it just got too difficult, as we kept missing our chances to get out of the situations we found ourselves in,” said a disappointed Niklas Stark, looking at the shortcomings of the evening. “We need to return to that compact defence we have had. If we get back to that stage, then we’ll have a chance against Leverkusen,” the central defender, returning to the squad from injury, emphasised. All the reaction from the defeat is here at herthabsc.com.

Niklas Stark: We lost possession and gave away the ball too much, especially in the first half. That meant Hoffenheim could overload one side, and we would have to recover, so it just got too difficult, as we kept missing our chances to get out of the situations we found ourselves in. The red card for Dedryck is a shame, but unfortunately for him it probably was one. We need to return to that compact defence we have had and press against the opposition at every opportunity. We didn’t do that as well as we have done in the last few weeks, but if we get back to that stage, then we’ll definitely have a chance against Leverkusen.

Maximilian Mittelstädt: We started well and had chances, doing well in the first 15 minutes, but when they took the lead against the run of play, the game flipped on its head. Our heads went down when the 1-0 went in – that’s been a real problem for us recently. We need to ask ourselves why we let ourselves drop so far after the start we had, with such good pressing. That’s the same story with the second goal. We tried to change the game at half time but it just wasn’t to be, and the red card made things even more difficult. At the end of the day we needed to do more.