First Team

"The right mentality"

The coaches’ reactions following the 56th Lower-Saxony derby.

Head coach Martin Schmidt.

The Wolves went into the game on the back of a six match unbeaten run against the '96er'‘. Considering the precarious personnel situation ahead of the clash in Hannover, a point against in-form H96 would have been a decent haul. On the night, the action on the pitch also indicated a share of the spoils would be the most likely outcome. But ultimately, the Wolves proved themselves not to be just aggressive and resistant, but also ice-cold and efficient at the right moment.

The coaches' reactions to the game

Andre Breitenreiter: We actually started the game well, had a lot of possession and, as we planned to, we operated a great deal down the flanks. From all of the deliveries from the wide positions, most caused very little real danger and, on the whole, we didn’t have enough opportunities on goal. However, we did force back VfL, who stood very deep, completely into defence. Wolfsburg only had two chances in the game. After the break, we wanted to remain patient, but we lacked the necessary purpose getting forward. Right to the death, we tried everything and even hit the crossbar. The result is a real shame and unnecessary – we deserved at least a point.

Martin Schmidt: You’ve got a very happy coach sitting here! Not only because of the three points, but also because of the manner in which we earned them. We were without a large number of first-choice players. We knew it would be all about our determination to perform, which we have not always displayed of late. During the break we said that at some stage we would find the space – which was then the case. We became more courageous and then took the lead with a cracking shot, which we then defended to the finish. It wasn’t a pretty win – you could even call it scrappy. I’ve had to defend some really good draws. For that reason, I am happy to take this win, which wasn’t pretty, but we had the right attitude and mentality.