Tuchel: "We have a foot in the door at all times, but we're capable of more"

Thomas Tuchel on…

…his team's performance against Wolfsburg:
We managed to play with focus and keep the tempo high. We created a lot of chances while simultaneously giving Wolfsburg only a few. So we're very satisfied. The win was deserved, as was the margin of victory. It was a very good way to round off a busy run of fixtures. Apart from the slip-up in Darmstadt, we have consistently performed with great focus and created a lot of clear-cut chances. We kept the opposition away from our goal and are currently working really hard and showing great discipline in defence. You could see that in the Champions League, as well as the matches against Leipzig and Hertha. At the moment I'm very happy with how we're performing. Now we're looking forward to having a week off and taking a breather. We need that to recuperate the energy we will need for the next block of five fixtures, which includes DFB Cup and the Champions League matches."

"Lukasz Piszczek embodies everything that is good about BVB"

…Lukasz Piszczek's current form and his importance to the team:
"He has been in outstanding form over the past few weeks. He played brilliantly against Leipzig, but unfortunately he had to come off at half-time against Hertha and missed the Darmstadt game. He was back for Benfica and played outstandingly. And he was exceptional again today. We're truly lucky to have him in our team, both in a playing and personal capacity. There's never a day that goes by when we don't see him smiling. Lukasz Piszczek is incredibly professional, and a real family man too. I get the feeling that he feels very happy at this moment in time. He's really conscientious, a role-model, the best you could hope for. He embodies everything that is good about BVB and what BVB should stand for. I'm absolutely delighted that he's in such good form and that he shows it so consistently."

"A real compliment to everyone who was there"

…the closing of the South Stand and the mood in the stadium:
"The game had a strange feel about it, but the atmosphere was still good. I think that it got a little bit easier in the second period, because at that point we were playing towards our fans and not towards a goal with an empty stand behind it. And of course, the way the game developed with the two goals after the break helped to boost the mood that bit more. It got everyone going and they worked really hard in order to create the best possible atmosphere in the stadium. A big compliment to everyone who was there. That said, once was enough and we hope we don't have to experience an empty South Stand again. I'm looking forward to seeing it full again at our next home game."

"We need to use next week to recuperate"

…the mood in the squad and the fixtures that lie ahead:
"This victory was very important for the mood, no doubt about that. Nonetheless, the feeling after the defeat in Lisbon was difficult to describe. Beforehand in Darmstadt we had deserved to be beaten, but the performance against Benfica was outstanding and yet we still ended up on the losing side. Based on all the data and what we actually put into the game, it's more or less impossible to lose that match in Lisbon. For that reason we tried to focus on the performance as it was and block out the result to some extent. But of course, the feeling now is very different because we've won and because we've finally managed to wrap up a win early in the game. Now we have a foot in the door at all times, but we're capable of more. Consistency, combined with the performances in the Champions League and the DFB Cup, is what we really need. We need to use next week to recuperate and to ensure that we are fresh enough when the next run of midweek fixtures starts." (djg)

BVB total! video: Watch the full press conference with Thomas Tuchel and Valérien Ismaël.