A second straight defeat was not the gift Klaus Allofs wanted to lay under the Christmas tree. "Exactly what we didn’t want to happen happened. We lost both games against our direct opponents," said Allofs after the 2-1 loss in Hamburg. "Up to the 15th game day the first half had gone very well. But it picked up a real dent. Now it’s a big step to the top. And the teams behind us got a lot closer. Now we have to learn from the mistakes that brought us here. There are certainly plenty of reasons. One of them is surely that some of the players are not in the form needed to play successfully in these kinds of games," added the Bremen manager.

"We are still going strong in all three competitions. But no longer quite as well. We have to get ourselves back into the Bundesliga race. Losing two games against equal opponents is simply a set back," warned vice captain Per Mertesacker. And captain Torsten Frings offered a mixed opinion of the first half. On the one hand it was also clear to him that "we lost a step to the top". But he remained confident. "Every team at the top will still lose games. We will still have our chances to slide back up. I think it was an exceptional first round. If you only lose three times in half a season you can be satisfied," said Frings.

Head coach Thomas Schaaf was also optimistic, bringing the positives to the forefront. "It was an excellent first half. We played a style which excited the whole Bundesliga. Few observers before the season expected this team to find itself so early. Besides, we are still in all three competitions. Those are all requirements for an interesting second half," said the coach.