Saturday’s match at BayArena was an intense affair and both coaches were pleased with the result. “We have taken a good first step to kick off the second half of the season,” said Jürgen Klopp after the 0-0 draw with Leverkusen. Bayer coach Roger Schmidt: “Both sides didn’t shy away from tackles and gave nothing away.”

Jürgen Klopp on the game in Leverkusen:

I’m happy that we have put in a good performance in the first game of the second half of the season against the most awkward side to play against in the Bundesliga. It was not perfect, but we did what was necessary and have taken a good first step to kick off the second half of the season. The stability was there and transition play was there.  And had we been a bit more accurate in our passing, it would have been even better. One cannot speak of a relegation battle and demand champagne football. But it was totally fine. To get a point in Leverkusen is always a good result, and we are happy with the one today.

…the game’s two talking points (Toprak against Immobile, Leno’s handling of the ball outside the box):

You could have given a penalty because he forgets to take his hand away. But I don’t want to make too much of a case of it as it wasn’t a clear-cut penalty. A free-kick from 18 yards [for Leno’s handling of the ball] would have been nice, but for such an intense game, there were few contentious decisions overall. The ref did a good job on the whole and both sides played within the limits.

…his side’s passing game:

We wanted to play the ball quickly past the pressing areas but weren’t accurate enough. There were two occasions where we could have had a run clear at goal had our passing been more accurate. Pity. In confined spaces, the timing has to be perfect. We have not sought perfection today, but stability.

…the table position?

It doesn’t bother me at all. We gained a point. We are in relegation battle. We are in striking distance, and that’s all I’m interested in. We will put all of the teams in front of us under pressure.

…Kevin Kampl’s debut:

It was impressive for a first game. He was confident, sharp and showed good skills.

Leverkusen coach Roger Schmidt:

I’m not unhappy. It was a tough task to play the first game after the winter break against Borussia Dortmund. It was an intense game as expected. Both sides didn’t shy away from tackles and gave nothing away. Both had two or three chances. The result is okay. We can take a lot of positives from this game.