Borussia Dortmund coach Jürgen Klopp had some harsh words for his side after the 2-1 defeat to Hertha BSC Berlin on Saturday: “We had plenty of possession but no real chances.”

What’s your verdict on the game against Hertha?

After our goal we let Hertha BSC back into the game completely unnecessary. We should have made better use of a very good opening spell but failed to grab the opportunity.

What were the reasons for the defeat?

We made unfortunate decisions before both of their goals. And the way we reacted after their first goal was not good at all as we took the foot off the gas. Hertha, of course, gained courage. They are a great team, both technically and tactically, and that’s why they realised that they could get something out of this game.

Why did BVB struggle in the second half?

We had plenty of possession but no real chances. And then we just got too frantic. We only have ourselves to blame because we lacked conviction. It was our own fault. And so a game that started so well ended so badly. And that’s also how this defeat feels like.

The winter break comes at the right time to allow the team a breather, doesn’t it?

Especially the last third of the year was unbelievably tough for us. We can really use the winter break and a rest. We have gotten ourselves in this position and have things that we need to think about during the break. That’s what I will do now, and on January 5th we start from scratch again.

What needs to change in the second half of the season?

Ideally, it should begin better than the first half of the season ended. We achieved a lot in the first part of this season, but have fallen below our own very high standards. We should have lost none of the games that we lost this season. And this has to change in the second half of the season.