At the end of the Press Conference Thomas Tuchel just about managed to get it out - the Manager made a passionate plea for his young team and promised “you can count on us, we’ll hang on in there!”

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Thomas Tuchel on the match:

We started very well and in a phase which wasn’t really up in the air, conceded a free kick through carelessness and a technical mistake, and defended this inattentively and sloppily. It was very tough for us being behind. We knew that Cologne defend strongly and are disciplined, it was then a game of patience in which we were never able to neglect our defensive duties. We were never pinned back, tried everything, took more risks, were always in the game and then deservedly equalised late on.

… on the substitutions:

We actually wanted to change up the pace a bit, but that wasn’t working any more. We had to plug away seeing as we had to make three changes due to injury. There are quite a lot of things that you have to take note of at the end – OK, at least we picked up a point. Taking Lukasz Piszczek off was just a precautionary measure, we hope it isn’t anything more than that. His adductors closed up, but hopefully he went off at the right time, before he picked up an injury. Gonzalo Castro injured one of his ribs. Sokratis took a blow.

… on the lack of consistency after games such as against Gladbach or Madrid:

When you bring up Gladbach then you know that we had a complete week of training before this match. We have signed eight new players, many of whom haven’t played in the Bundesliga before, who don’t know how it feels to play in Cologne, and who aren’t used to playing every 3 days. It is a process. It wasn’t the PK in Frankfurt but rather the week of training that showed an effect. We were able to regenerate and take on the match with the necessary energy. We don’t have the time that this young team needs. Today was an away match on a difficult pitch against a team that loves to defend. That it seems a bit tougher I think is normal.

"We never gave up and picked up a point"

… on the 26 fouls committed by Cologne

You know my opinion on the number of fouls: 20 is the limit. We committed 18 fouls ourselves today, which is an unusual amount for us. I am not really taken by a match with 44 fouls in total. The pitch was very difficult to play on, it was an intense match. We have a lot to learn, and we possibly also need to learn how to handle it when the going gets tough. But after today’s match I want to stay clear of what we still have to learn. We never gave up and picked up a point.

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... on Marco Reus, who saved a point for the second time in 4 days:

I am very happy and emphasised many times, that things were shaken up for us before the season not only by 3 important players leaving but also Marco Reus being injured. The manner in which he returned is striking. His goal threat and personality are irreplaceable for us, which we knew before – now its clearer than ever.

... on the near future:
We need to refuel as we have a difficult game coming up in Hoffenheim. Development is clear and it’s normal that there are bumps along the way. You can count on us, we’ll hang on in there! The compliment today outstrips any kind of finger pointing.
Report by Boris Rupert

BVB total!-Video: the entire Press Conference with Thomas Tuchel and Peter Stöger