Despite a committed display, things could barely have gone much worse for Wolfsburg in their first home game of 2019. The Wolves conceded three goals, scored none and were forced into an early substitution when Admir Mehmedi limped off injured. On top of that, they wasted a number of good chances, adding to head coach Bruno Labbadia’s frustration. The result means Leverkusen are now just one point behind VfL, who have dropped to eighth place in the table for now.
The coaches’ reactions
Bruno Labbadia: “It was an intense game, as we expected. The first half was a real battle. We came into the game well and had two or three chances, but the final pass was lacking. That would’ve made the difference. Then to concede just before half-time was obviously a disaster for us. The team kept trying to put them under pressure and the decision [to disallow Renato Steffen’s goal] at 2-0 was very unfortunate. The fourth official told me that Wout Weghorst had moved, but Jonathan Tah moved too. There were other little decisions like that, but I have to say Bayer deserved to win. They were more mature and polished in their play. Nevertheless, we had some unlucky moments, such as the disallowed goal. The players tried everything. The injury to Admir Mehmedi was also a big blow. We made too many simple mistakes and gave the ball away too easily, which plays into the hands of a team like Bayer.”
Peter Bosz: “We’re a good team but we also played against a very good team, so it was a nice game for the fans. We had lots of chances and we didn’t take all of them. I think we’re heading in the right direction. We also played well last week and we managed to do so again on this occasion. I’m a happy coach today.”
