Miron Muslic: Two weeks ago it felt like a win – this time it feels like the opposite

Miron Muslic:

Two weeks ago, the point against Kaiserslautern felt like a win because of our late goals. This time it feels like the opposite. The first half was tough, but the second half was very good. That’s when we did exactly what we’d set out to do – play with real intensity, win the ball high up the pitch and be dangerous from counter-attacks. We got our reward with two brilliant goals, and with the way we defend, that should normally be enough.

Then we conceded out of nowhere and the last few minutes were really chaotic. We had the chance to make it 3-1 and we should have put the game to bed, but we didn’t. Instead, Dresden landed a late sucker punch from the only corner of the match. It’s really hard to take, especially because we did a lot of things very well in the second half and you could see what a boost Dejan Ljubičić, Moussa Ndiaye and Adil Aouchiche are for us. Ultimately though, we have to live with the draw.

Thomas Stamm:

We were very good in the first half and my team defended excellently. We didn’t have many big chances, but we did have a few good moments where we found some space. We also started the second half well. Then Schalke hit us on the break and took their goal nicely. In my view, we conceded the second goal too quickly, although Schalke were the better side in that spell. After that we changed things and went much more direct with long balls. It helped that we were clinical as well. Over almost 100 minutes, I thought it was an even game.

Kenan Karaman:

The result is really disappointing, I’m absolutely gutted. We were in complete control in the second half and scored two excellent goals. At home, that should be enough for three points. Instead, we unnecessarily let Dynamo back into the game. For their first goal, we let them get a cross into the middle with nobody stopping it. The own goal that came from it was unlucky. Overall though, I thought we stayed focused, even if not much came off for us in the first half – that was a pretty even half. After the break we came out really well and we got our reward with those two goals.

We were more active going forward today, and the new signings slotted in brilliantly as well. We had far more attacking moves and shots than we have had recently. With Edin Džeko, we’ve got a target man who can hold the ball up and lay it off. On top of that, we’ve got good lads operating between the lines who can threaten in behind. That will get even better over the next few weeks.

Loris Karius:

The disappointment is huge. We actually played a really good game in the second half in particular. Once the dust settles on today’s match, we have to look to build on that second-half performance – it should give us confidence for our upcoming games. From a goalkeeper’s point of view, that corner for their equaliser always feels like a 50-50 call on whether the referee blows for a foul. Either way, I’d still rather be a keeper who comes for things than one who’s glued to his line.