Hoffenheim ended its eight-match winless streak against Freiburg with three second-half goals. Christian Ilze spoke at length about the match as the home side remained in the top three.
“The defeat in Munich brought us a lot of praise, but it was also dangerous,” the Hoffenheim coach said of his team’s reaction after the team’s 5-1 win over Bayern Munich.
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“We need maturity to be successful against a team like Freiburg. We know that Freiburg, despite playing 120 minutes in the cup, still have their legs fit, but maybe they lack that last bit of mental sharpness. To take advantage of tired heads you have to play at a high tempo.”
Hoffenheim had all their best chances since Andre Kramaric’s fifth-minute goal was disallowed, but they had to wait until the second half to score. Ilze singled out two players in his thank-you letter to the team.
“I am particularly happy with Valentin Gendre’s goal. In his position, he has a strong opponent in Vladimir Coufal. The reason why Vlad (Coufal) achieved such a performance is because he constantly pushed him in training,” said the 48-year-old coach.
In the 23rd round, Hoffenheim will face Cologne away from home. “It is dangerous to focus too much on the standings. Now we are thinking about how to prepare for the game in Cologne.” Ilze said at the end of the post-match interview.