On the 6th matchday of the Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen beat 1. FSV Mainz 05 and took over the top of the table. VfB Stuttgart pushed 1. FC Cologne deeper into crisis, Gladbach defeated VfL Bochum and Eintracht Frankfurt had to admit defeat to VfL Wolfsburg. The voices about the games:
Jonas Hofmann (goalscorer Bayer 04 Leverkusen) …
… what is possible this season: “A lot is possible. If we accept it like that and always prepare well and focus on the opponent, then a lot is possible with the team. We have incredible potential, but we have to approach it with a certain amount of humility.”
… about Xabi Alonso: “It would be human to worry about it, but now I know him quite well and everyone knows that he is 100% here at Leverkusen.”
Granit Xhaka (Bayer 04 Leverkusen) …
… to the game: “We knew when we got here that it would be a fight game. We accepted that well and confidently won the duel in the end.”
… why things are currently going well at Leverkusen: “If you see how we have prepared and how we work hard every day, then it’s no surprise to me.”
Martin Schmidt (Sports Director 1. FSV Mainz 05) …
… to the game: “We didn’t play a bad game. We tried hard. We played good ball and found the space. We’re currently still lacking the momentum in the box and towards the box. We have our next chance on Friday evening against Gladbach. That was today certainly good, but not enough to win against an efficient opponent.”
… about Bo Svensson: “I see Bo Svensson very positively. He gave the team a lot of energy during the week. He did good training and the speeches before the game and during the break were also good. Bo is there, picks up the team and the team is behind him and we are behind the team and that’s why the path we’ve taken today and what the coach is setting an example is the right thing and that’s the approach we’re taking.”
Danny da Costa (1. FSV Mainz 05) about the coach: “The coach is trying to set an example. Today was no different than last week. We also had the opportunity to win here today. In the end, we gave up the game ourselves, completely without necessity and the path we took “We have to move on now and then I hope that we can have success again in this way.”
Timo Hübers (1. FC Köln) about the game: “We throw everything into it. We have really good phases where we put a lot of pressure on the goal and the stadium is full and then to be there again with zero points hurts a lot. It doesn’t fail because of the will, we do everything out, but we don’t score the goals and we get them behind.”
Davie Selke (1. FC Köln) about the game: “I’m broken. We played a great game again today, with a lot of courage, played dominantly and defended well against the ball. Then in one scene I lose the ball and that’s punished coldly. I’m extremely sorry for that the boys and the fans.”
Sebastian Hoeneß (coach VfB Stuttgart) …
… to the game: “I think we started the game really well. We actually implemented what we set out to do and didn’t let any energy build up here. We controlled the game, but weren’t good in the final third. That was it the situations where we gave the ball away too easily and then Cologne had one or two chances. I think at the end of the first half we were on the trigger again, but Cologne were still somehow always in it with their intense style of play.”
… to the offensive changes: “On the one hand, we had to change because of Atakan Karazor because he wasn’t feeling quite right, and then I had the feeling that Deniz Undav could give us an impulse today, that was a good coincidence. That was a really good team performance today and that’s a really well-rounded thing.”
Jonas Wind (goalscorer VfL Wolfsburg) …
…about the gates: “That’s nice, it’s 1A and it’s a good feeling. I’m very happy with these goals and the three points are very good.”
…why he’s scoring so many goals: “Today it was two easy goals, but the feeling is very good at the moment and the team always helps me, that’s very important for me.”
… about the future with Wolfsburg: “I certainly hope so internationally. We have a good team with a lot of quality.”
Mario Götze (Eintracht Frankfurt) on the expulsion: “There were two situations, I still can’t understand the first situation. In the second situation, we both want to go for the ball and I come a little too late and hit him on the foot. That was a clear foul, definitely and that A yellow card is fine too, but the first one for me is very questionable.”
Niko Kovac (coach VfL Wolfsburg) about the game: “I have to say it was a really good game today. I think from both teams, especially in the first half, but the bottom line is that we were really strong today. We worked well against the ball, put the opponent under pressure and ourselves “We also created numerous chances. So it was a totally deserved victory. That’s how I like it and that’s how we have to play.”
Christoph Kramer (Borussia Mönchengladbach) on the interruption of the game: “A banner was hanging where it shouldn’t be hanging, and then the ultra groups have their principles and then either the banner hangs or the banner has to go.”
Florian Neuhaus (captain Borussia Mönchengladbach) about the game: “We’re happy that we got the three points today. This is a Saturday afternoon as you would imagine. I think we got into the game really well, had a lot of chances right from the start and deservedly took the lead and were able to do so We put up a good fight and fought until the end in the second half and deserved to win.”
Thomas Letsch (coach VfL Bochum) about the game: “If you’re 3-0 behind, it’s going to be difficult. If we’re honest, it could be 4-0 or 5-0 and we can shoot us down at the beginning of the second half, so we don’t have to worry about it anymore The second half is coming. It was a catastrophic game for us and you can’t present yourself like that here at home. You can’t present yourself like that, but especially not at home.”
Urs Fischer (coach 1. FC Union Berlin) …
… about the game: “We’re just not scoring goals from the opportunities we have at the moment, we’re just having a hard time with that at the moment. The team puts in an incredible amount of effort, but at the end you have to reward yourself and unfortunately we didn’t manage to do that today. That’s true bitter.”
… about the lack of self-confidence: “Of course the last results don’t help. We should just push the ball over the line, but when you’re in this situation, you have to keep going.”
… about the development of the team: “If you strive for development with the team, then it’s also a process and you can’t change it overnight. But at the moment it’s not just that, there’s a lot coming together, including injuries, but I don’t want to complain. We will prepare for Tuesday as best we can.”
…whether it is still a difficult phase for him or already a crisis: “If you look at the results, you can say it’s a crisis, but when I see what the team puts in, I’m sure we’ll be rewarded again.”