Sebastian Rudy: 'We need to learn from this'
Hoffenheim 'need to learn' from Sunday's shocking 1-5 loss to Mainz, says Sebastian Rudy.
| Sebastian Rudy. | Photo: TSG Hoffenheim |
Speaking after the game, Hoffenheim midfielder Sebastian Rudy said he hopes the team will learn from the defeat.
"I can't explain it. We really had our asses handed to us today. We need to learn from that. But perhaps it's good to take the hit today because then in the next match we'll be 1,000 percent aware of what has made us strong in recent weeks," Rudy said, as quoted by the club.
"You simply can't deny it was a bad performance from us. There were a lot of misplaced passes, sizeable gaps in our defence and we even allowed our opponents to play once they were down a player. We never really had Mainz under control and they hit us on the counter. It was a dark day for us," he added.
Achim Beierlorzer, who was in charge of his first game as Mainz coach, was obviously delighted with the result.
“Of course we are really happy to get all three points. We switched to three-at-the-back to better marshal Hoffenheim's attacking power. We largely managed to bring them under our control, even if we got ourselves into trouble a couple of times," Beierlorzer said in an interview on Mainz's website.
"Today, we saw how things can go in football and that sometimes you need a bit of luck, like with our second from an own goal after a dangerous cross. We played with our chests puffed out and looked to hit them on the break. We were disciplined and defended well. You ca'’t play much better than that," he added.
