"Not clinical enough inside the box"

The coaches' post-match comments following VfL Wolfsburg's 4-1 defeat at RB Leipzig.

The positives to emerge from Matchday 33 from a VfL Wolfsburg point of view were defeats for fellow strugglers Hamburger SV (3-0 loss at Eintracht Frankfurt) and SC Freiburg (3-1 loss at Borussia Mönchengladbach). Next Saturday's meeting with 1. FC Köln (kick-off: 15:30 CEST) will now determine the Wolves' fate, with the relegation play-off almost certain with a draw. As for the defeat at RB Leipzig, Bruno Labbadia's side had a glimmer of hope when Daniel Didavi made it 2-1 after the break, but the hosts ultimately proved too strong, running out 4-1 victors.

Bruno Labbadia: "We came out really well at the start, particularly considering Leipzig's good performances in recent defeats – they could have been 3-0 up against Mainz after 30 minutes. They showed none of that early on, but we didn't make enough of the possession we had and weren't clinical enough inside the box. Leipzig then had the quality to make it 1-0 from their first real chance, and the second goal summed it up from our point of view. The lads had their heads down at the interval, but we took more risks in the second half and deservedly made it 2-1. We were then caught on the counter for their third, and that was basically that since they have a lot of quick players."

Ralph Hasenhüttl: "We were a bit slow to get going, but that's partly because we didn't want to take too many risks. We had also made a lot of changes and so waited for our moments to hit them on the break. The difference today compared to the past few weeks was how clinical we were in front of goal. We didn't have nearly as many chances as we did against Mainz or Hoffenheim, but we were much more effective and got our rewards in the shape of four goals. After the break there was a period in which the game could have turned on its head, when they caught us half-asleep. Otherwise, though, I saw a lot of good today and I was pleased by how compact we were, how few chances we conceded and how well we worked off the ball. It was an important win and a step in the right direction."