Rose reflects on refereeing decisions following draw: "As has so often been the case this season, we sit here and discuss."
Bundesliga match official Patrick Ittrich turned out to be the main topic of post-match conversation as Marco Rose discussed what was for his side a disappointing draw.
Two of the referee's calls had a profound impact on the result. Given that the 42-year-old on-pitch arbiter was adjudicating his first match back after a long-injury layoff, Rose chose his words carefully.
Hertha BSC were surely, on balance, more pleased with the single point on Saturday afternoon. The Berliners picked up a valuable point in the relegation race whilst the Westphalians missed an important chance to leap ahead in the race for Europe.
Two of the referee's calls had a profound impact on the result. Given that the 42-year-old on-pitch arbiter was adjudicating his first match back after a long-injury layoff, Rose chose his words carefully.
After the match, departing Gladbach trainer Marco Rose had two address questions about two match-altering calls by first official Patrick Ittrich. First up, the 13th-minute red card that saw the foals reduced to ten men.
"It was reviewed and confirmed red," Rose said of the play that cost him goalkeeper Yann Sommer, "I thus think that the sending off has some justification."
Rose may have been prepared to be magnanimous with Ittrich in that instance. After all, the VAR team in the Kölner Keller affirmed the fact that Sommer had robbed Hertha striker Jhon Cordoba of a clear goal-scoring chance with a tactical foul.
The BMG trainer found himself feeling less generous when it came to a sequence in the 72nd minute that might have allowed his foals to take the lead. Marcus Thuram and Lukas Klünter both went to ground in the penalty area on what looked like an incidental 50-50.
After the duel, however, Klünter appeared to have prevented Thuram from getting back up. Ittrich allowed play to continue. Rose called the decision "incomprehensible" and indicated that a VAR review should have been merited in that case.
"As has been the case so often this season, we sit here and discuss," Rose said, adding "the referee certainly didn't have an easy game. It was very combative."