Schalke coach Fred Rutten breathed a big sigh of relief. “We had that extra bit of luck that we had been missing in the last few games.“ And Werder fans would have liked to have added the phrase... “and Werder hasn’t had for weeks either.“ This was a very, very bitter loss, as Per Mertesacker said after the final whistle. “We stood pretty good in the backline and pieced together some dangerous situations. It was really bitter that there was always something between us in our goal chances. But that doesn’t matter if you can’t get things done in the decisive situations. We are just missing a little of that killer instinct.“

Torsten Frings agreed with the analysis of his German national team colleague. “Both teams neutralised each other in the first half. Our plan worked. We did not want to risk too much, have good positioning and not let Schalke take over the match. But then we allowed this stupid goal. After that we exerted a lot of pressure and created a lot of chances, more or less playing 40 minutes near their goal. But we are just missing a bit of luck and the final bit of determination.“

Werder needed somewhat more concentration on the decisive free kick in their own penalty area. For this one mistake curtailed a solid defensive performance. “We played better than against Bielefeld. But it doesn’t help us at all if things don’t work when they count. We struggled in converting our goal chances and blacked out in one dead ball situation. And at this level, you get punished for that. And those are the differences between a top club and a team that is currently stuck in the middle of the table, “ added manager Klaus Allofs.