Bernd Leno paused for a second when asked whether the 1-1 scoreline against Schalke was a good result. It was clear to the international goalkeeper however, that the draw against the Royal Blues on matchday 14 of the Bundesliga was ultimately a point gained for Leverkusen.
In an interview with DFB.de, the 23-year-old discusses the stalemate against FC Schalke 04, the situation at Bayer Leverkusen, and the schedule leading up to the winter break.
Question: Bernd Leno, 1-1 against Schalke. Is that a point won or two lost for Leverkusen?
Bernd Leno: At the end of the day you have to say that it’s a point gained. The result is of course not ideal, but we played well. We created numerous chances, but unfortunately were not able to get our reward.
Question: Leverkusen dominated against Schalke for long periods. Was the problem not being clinical enough in front of goal or did other things play a role?
Leno: I don’t think you can accuse of doing much wrong, except the fact that we didn’t score enough goals. We had some big chances just before half time, but weren’t able to put the ball in the back of the net. Schalke then took the lead shortly after the restart, which shocked us somewhat and we needed a few minutes. At the end we should have still managed to turn the game around. We still had 40 minutes on the clock, and we had the chances. Ironically, it was one of the less dangerous chances that lead to our goal – somewhat symbolic you have to say.
Question: Did Leverkusen get stuck in the mud somewhat, and miss the chance to make ground up the table?
Leno: The table doesn’t lie. We really need to put a good run together before the winter break, so that we don’t lose too much ground. We will need to replicate our performance from today in all of the remaining games. I am convinced that we will pick up points.
Bernd Leno paused for a second when asked whether the 1-1 scoreline against Schalke was a good result. It was clear to the international goalkeeper however, that the draw against the Royal Blues on matchday 14 of the Bundesliga was ultimately a point gained for Leverkusen.
In an interview with DFB.de, the 23-year-old discusses the stalemate against FC Schalke 04, the situation at Bayer Leverkusen, and the schedule leading up to the winter break.
Question: Bernd Leno, 1-1 against Schalke. Is that a point won or two lost for Leverkusen?
Bernd Leno: At the end of the day you have to say that it’s a point gained. The result is of course not ideal, but we played well. We created numerous chances, but unfortunately were not able to get our reward.
Question: Leverkusen dominated against Schalke for long periods. Was the problem not being clinical enough in front of goal or did other things play a role?
Leno: I don’t think you can accuse of doing much wrong, except the fact that we didn’t score enough goals. We had some big chances just before half time, but weren’t able to put the ball in the back of the net. Schalke then took the lead shortly after the restart, which shocked us somewhat and we needed a few minutes. At the end we should have still managed to turn the game around. We still had 40 minutes on the clock, and we had the chances. Ironically, it was one of the less dangerous chances that lead to our goal – somewhat symbolic you have to say.
Question: Did Leverkusen get stuck in the mud somewhat, and miss the chance to make ground up the table?
Leno: The table doesn’t lie. We really need to put a good run together before the winter break, so that we don’t lose too much ground. We will need to replicate our performance from today in all of the remaining games. I am convinced that we will pick up points.
Question: Leverkusen are only four points behind Wolfsburg. Do you see this as positive, or is this not good enough considering your season so far?
Leno: Of course we want to finish higher than where we are now. Four points is not unassailable. We need a good run, ideally before Christmas, and then things will start to look different. We need a few points still from 2015.
Question: The next two games could be easier. First you face fifth-placed Hertha GSB, and then fourth-placed Borussia Mönchengladbach…
Leno: It’s very impressive what Hertha have done so far this season. It won’t be an easy game, and it’s a six pointer, just like the Gladbach match. We can do a lot for our position in the table.
Question: There is a lot of talk about Leverkusen being a very talented, up-and-coming side, but then mistakes are still made. Do you think that the expectations were set a bit high for this season?
Leno: I don’t think our expectations are too high. We are still determined to qualify for the Champions League. The only negative thing is that we are not getting rewarded. We are not playing badly, and so we are still able to qualify for the Champions League if we keep playing how we are now.
Question: Leverkusen have lost against Bayern, Dortmund and Wolfsburg and now drawn with Schalke. You have not beaten any of the top teams…
Leno: I think we need to beat Hertha and Gladbach in order to prove that we are in fact capable of this.
