„If it ends 3-3, nobody complains.“

„It was a game that should never have ended 0-0. But it certainly wasn’t a boring afternoon. We were a bit surprised at the beginning that Hertha was sitting so compact and deep. Accordingly, we had to change our strategy and relied more on deep runs and shifts away from the ball. That put us in a few situations. Overall, however, we had problems gaining defensive control on the wing in the 4-2-3-1. After switching to a back three, we were the better team and more courageous going forward, creating more chances. We had great chances through Bartosz Bialek, which Tjark Ernst saved superbly. In the final minute, we were lucky that Fabian Reese didn’t score. The scene showed that defending Hertha’s quality for 90 minutes is one of the toughest tasks in the 2. Bundesliga. Despite the last chance, we put in a good to very good performance. Either team could have won the game, even though I thought we had one or two more chances. We’ve had a very good start to the season. Now we’re looking forward to the duel at the Betzenberg.“

„I honestly don’t know exactly what to make of the 0-0 draw. Overall, I’m satisfied with our performance. It was our best performance of the season against a very strong and versatile opponent. We got off to a good start, initially relinquished control, and didn’t want to give the opponent any space to make deep runs. We ourselves played well. However, you still have to pay attention to Darmstadt’s individual quality and their set pieces. After the break, we were stable until the Lilies switched to a back three. After that, we initially struggled to adjust. Nevertheless, the boys defended everything and had some good chances going forward. Then we had two great chances: Tjark Ernst made an excellent save, and at the other, Fabian Reese nearly landed a lucky punch that we would have liked to have taken. Ultimately, our performance gives us confidence for the challenges ahead.“

„It was the tough game we expected, even if Hertha didn’t start quite as well as we did. You could see the individual quality Hertha brought. The game was a bit strange, it went back and forth. When it ends 3-3, no one complains. Usually, Fabian Reese scores his big chance just before the end. If we take our chances, the game can end differently – so I think it’s a fair point split. We wanted to keep the three points here, which unfortunately we didn’t manage. But fundamentally, we’ll take the point and not let our heads hang. In the end, you could definitely see that we still have energy to play on. Our pressing was also really good today.“

„Hertha sat very deep today and showed respect for us – you have to work for that. We pushed through our game, had good set pieces, and hardly conceded anything. Defensively, we were great, and I thought Mey Papela played a top game at right back today. The three-man defence allowed the defenders to defend forward, which made things a little easier for the defensive midfielders. After that, Hertha didn’t have much. That shows that we can play both systems. It was important for us that we didn’t lose our heads. Apart from the last move with Reese, we remained very stable against a good counter-attacking team. We wanted to win this game, and it showed. In the end, though, we take the point and the result. It was a better 0-0 today because we tried everything. We’ve got a good points average so far and are one round further in the cup – so we’re all happy.“