"The fact that we lost is just typical of our current situation" | OneFootball

Pieper spoke of an improved performance (Photo: WERDER.DE).

Post-match reaction following 2-1 defeat against VfL Wolfsburg

SV Werder Bremen were left empty-handed after a 2-1 defeat at home against VfL Wolfsburg. Despite displaying an improved performance compared to other games in recent weeks, the Green-Whites had to deal with several challenges, including the absense of eight players. WERDER.DE have summed up all the post-match reaction from within the mixed zone after the game.

Ole Werner, head coach: "It was a solid performance from us. Not everything went off without a hitch, but the team tried and worked hard in order to be able to take something from this game. In my opinion, we were the better team but in the end, the team that managed to take their chances ended up winning. Today we saw the side to ourselves that we need to now continue showing on a regular basis. Next week we'll be up against a very different sort of opponent, but we want to make it tough for them, just like we did earlier this season."

Jens Stage: "It was a better performance compared to our recent games, but football can be a brutal game at times. We're in a tough spot at the moment, which is when 50/50 games like this one can sometimes go the opponent's way, as we saw today. We were missing a cool head and final pass in the final third, but we had the right spirit and emotions on the pitch. We need to continue working hard."

Milos Veljkovic: "We wanted to show a reaction today, both for ourselves and for the fans and would have deserved more today. Unfortunately, we didn't manage to score the goal we needed – that's just how it is in football sometimes. It's a results-based sport and hopefully we'll have better luck next time."

Amos Pieper: "We saw a lot of the things that we'd set out to do today. The bare minimum was for us to show a reaction. If I consider the quality of the chances we saw tonight, then we should have managed to win. The fact that we lost is just typical of our current situation. It sounds simple and banal, but we just came up a goal short today. At least we will be able to draw on some of the positive aspects ahead of our next games."

Keke Topp: "It's frustrating because we had a lot of chances and played well. Unfortunately, Wolfsburg had a great goalkeeper today and overall, we didn't deserve to lose. We definitely saw that we wanted to win and that we were a lot more aggressive in our tackles. Going forward, we need to continue to believe in ourselves and in our quality."

Clemens Fritz, managing director for sport: "At the start of the game, we saw that the team wasn't overflowing with confidence. The goal we conceded then meant that we faced an uphill battle. From that point on, however, I saw a team that believed in themselves. We were able to find solutions and create chances. The second half didn't get off to a great start and we had to adjust to the setback again, but we continued to believe in ourselves and look to attack. It's too bad that we weren't able to take anything from this game, because Wolfsburg were able to take all three points despite not creating many chances."

Peter Niemeyer, head of professional football: "Given our current situation, I think the performance is the most important piece to focus on. It was unfortunate that we went behind. Nevertheless, I saw a team that managed to show a reaction and that put a lot of effort into the game. At the minute, there's too much that has to go our way in order for us to score. The past weeks have seen our opponents show us what we should be doing instead."