“It’s about how we respond now”

Niko Bungert:  “The game was heading towards a draw, which we would have fully deserved considering the whole performance. We switched off for just one moment, and we paid the price for it. It’s a bitter pill to swallow. The first goal was a shot from around 20 metres out — you can’t always stop those going in. It was a very well-struck effort. The second goal, however, simply cannot happen. We were away against a top side, dug in, and managed to take the lead. Even after the setback right on half-time, we stayed in it. Overall, I saw a lot of positive aspects today. We held our own for a long time and, in a fairly even game, ultimately brought about our own defeat. It’s now about how we respond now. You can either hang your head or stick together and build on those small moments of success. We want to create a ‘now more than ever’ mentality. I’m confident that these lads can manage that — it’s a great group with strong characters.”

“I found out during the game that our fan was no longer in life-threatening danger, which is a positive sign. It’s always a bit unsettling when play continues while you can see and hear that something’s not right. Huge respect goes to everyone involved for how it was handled. We hope that the situation continues to improve.”

Robin Zentner: “I thought it wasn’t a bad performance for large stretches of the game today. Tactically, we’ve taken a step forward, and we defended better. It’s understandable that Stuttgart, with the quality and depth they have in their squad, created a few chances at home. We managed to come up with just as many ourselves. For me, that game finishes as a draw more often than not. Right now, individual mistakes are our biggest issue, and that’s a mental thing. We deliberately sat deeper from the off, and did well in this respect, staying compact as a unit and winning the ball often in our own half. We created plenty of opportunities to score. We just have to start taking them and cut out the errors at the back. After the final whistle, we immediately wanted to find out how the fan who collapsed was doing. Only after that did we talk about the game. It’s important that we communicate with each other. At Mainz, we’ve been through situations like this before, and we know how to come through them. We have to stick together to do this, and we need the support of the fans.”

Phillipp Mwene: “Of course, our plan was to come here and win. We tried a slightly different approach today; instead of always pressing high up, we sat deeper and more compact at times. We did that well, and Stuttgart struggled to find their way through. Führich’s goal was simply down to individual brilliance. It’s difficult to defend when he connects with the ball like that. For the second goal, we simply need to be quicker in anticipating the long ball and be more alert. At this moment, it’s very frustrating. We’re putting a lot into our every game, but we’re not seeing the reward. We need to look at what we did well and take that forward. Right now, though, it’s hard to get over the disappointment.”