Matarazzo laments defensive errors after loss: "I have to think about the consequences."
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim trainer Pellegrino Matarazzo went into great depth when discussing his side's most recent loss at his post-match presser.
Pellegrino Matarazzo's Hoffenheim remain off to a relatively solid start this season, occupying sixth-place in the Bundesliga table following eight match-days. The German club's American trainer nevertheless remained highly critical off his team after they failed to win at home for the third time in the current league campaign. Freiburg, Dortmund, and now Eintracht Frankfurt have all now defeated the Kraichgauer in their own arena.
"Unfortunately, we killed ourselves with individual mistakes," Matarazzo said when reflecting upon a performance in which his team conceded three first-half goals, "We essentially gifted them the win. You can't make mistakes like that. You don't win a game like that. Regardless of how good our offensive football was today."
Matarazzo went into greater depth about what he perceived to be wrong with his team tactically. The American head-coach admitted that opposite member Dino Toppmöller had surprised him by - in contrast to the previous victory prior to the international break - deploying a back-four. Matarazzo addressed his team's failure to cope with this and noted that the issue required further thought.
"I don't know if it's due to concentration or simply due to high pressing," Matarazzo said, "In the second half, Frankfurt defended compactly and hard. We weren't compelling enough. The fact is that playing against deep opponents is not our strength at the moment."
"It felt like an unnecessary defeat," the gaffer continued, "We made too many mistakes and were too careless in the first-half. Then it's hard to come back. I still have to think about what the consequences are."