“It was a total mess”

A defeat like this means some clear and honest words: The players were not just completely dissatisfied with the 4-0 loss in Mainz, they also looked back at the game with brutal self-criticism. “We didn’t get into the game from the very first minute. It was a total mess from the entire team,” conceded Prince Boateng. Niklas Stark explained: “It’s difficult to point the finger at a specific aspect of the game, because lots of things went wrong. Nothing went well for us.” herthabsc.com has collected the raw reactions from the game.

Prince Boateng: We didn’t get into the game from the very first minute and lost nearly every single one of our tackles. We knew before the game that Mainz play an intense game. In an attacking sense, we didn’t even do the basics and had so little of the ball. It was a total mess from the entire team – nothing was good. We need to show that we have fight in us and can play good football against Dortmund.

Niklas Stark: We had none of the ball and didn’t find a way in. Mainz are a dynamic team who pressed us well and we couldn’t handle it – every ball, every pass was poor. We didn’t find any way through them and you always lost games like that. It’s difficult to point the finger at a specific aspect of the game, because lots of things went wrong. Nothing went well for us. On Saturday against Bielefeld we did a lot better, had more courage and wanted the ball more. It’s a tough situation for both us and our fans. We need to put this game behind us and show a different side of us this weekend, to get the most out of it – that’s the only way.