"It has been great fun for me to coach this team," said Thomas Tuchel at the press conference after the 1-1 draw with Hertha BSC. Here is what the BVB boss had to say.

Thomas Tuchel on the performance of his very young side:
For a long time we struggled to really build the pressure up and create chances. But this is in no way meant as an accusation. This was the first time that my team has ever lined up together like this, the players we had out there were extremely young and inexperienced – and in a number of positions. On top of that, our opponents were very disciplined and resilient in defence. They generally give away very few chances.

...on the reaction after conceding:
I found that conceding actually helped us out. After that we were able to play with a bit more freedom than at the start of the second half, we upped the tempo and got better at finding space. We did a good job of playing the balls through the gaps, so that's why the equaliser was highly-deserved, even if it did come late on.

...on the result itself:
At the moment it feels like we deserved to get the victory. We put in a very intensive performance, played with emotion and threw everything at it. It has been great fun to coach this team. It's how we imagined it would be.

...on Mikel Merino's debut:
He needed a bit of time. You could see that it was a big step for him, adapting to the speed and the intensity. But it was important for him to show what we could do. It was a great opportunity for him. There was a bit of uncertainty at the outset but then later on he started getting into the important spaces. That played a vital role in allowing us to keep up the level of pressure.