Thomas Tuchel: "There are no words for this"

…the mindset after being knocked out in Liverpool: "It feels very sobering. Now we feel very, very empty. We were on the verge of a major aim, a real milestone: overcoming Liverpool at Anfield in a knockout match. We must face the fact that we did not manage it. We must be fair and admit that after going 3-1 up we no longer coped with how much risk Liverpool were playing with. The trust in our ways of operating was no longer so high, especially under stress and pressure. And thus the worst-case scenario occurred. We had a significant cushion but lost the second half 4-1. That is far below the standards that we set ourselves."

…the reasons for the defeat: "There was no individual part of the puzzle that did not fit. Actually a lot worked very well today. After falling behind early Liverpool had to take a lot of risks. We were on the verge of taking a three-goal lead on several occasions. It's the small details that count, the crossfield passes, the passes into the gaps. If we had made it 3-0 then it would have probably been all over. But as it was Liverpool were always in it. We were missing the confidence and the presence to calm the game down after they pulled back to 3-2 and to perform against our opponent. At a certain point they were completely driven by emotion. Ultimately we were hit by a late sucker punch from the opposition. Shit happens."

…a possible crack that could appear: "Right now we have to honestly admit that we have not reached the major objective of going through. Our power density and our standards are too high to simply brush aside this defeat. The interesting thing will be to see how we deal with it as a unit, how much energy it costs us and whether we manage to put the disappointment behind us by next Wednesday in Berlin at the very latest. That's also a characteristic of sport. There are no matches without defeats and losers. These are lessons that are part of it." (fu)