Labbadia: “We lacked cutting edge”

It was a typical 0-0 draw between two defensively solid teams, a highly tactical encounter lacking in attacking creativity. Hertha coach Pal Dardai bemoaned his side’s missed chances early on and what he saw as a “tired performance”. Meanwhile Wolfsburg head coach Bruno Labbadia acknowledged his players’ improvement following a shaky start, the biggest positive for him that they showed the same unity they did against Schalke two weeks previously.

Bruno Labbadia: We had a few problems to start with because we didn’t implement our tactics very well. We were able to change that as the half wore on and we got into the game more. In the second half we played a lot better and I felt we were getting closer but we lacked the cutting edge in the final third, which is obviously frustrating given the situation we’re in. It’s a shame because sometimes you can grind out scrappy wins with a set-piece. Unfortunately we didn’t manage to do that, so we’ll take the point and look at the positives. It’s important that the team again showed the same unity they showed in the Schalke game.

Pal Dardai: We started the first half well and did a lot of the things we’d spoken about. But when you put so much effort in, your final ball needs to be sharper. We didn’t manage to get ourselves in front in the opening 30 minutes. We tried to get out of the blocks quickly again in the second half but in my view it was a tired performance from both teams. Neither side had any real chances to score, so we have to settle for a point.