Rolfes critical of Leverkusen's performance despite 3-0 win

Simon Rolfes thought Bayer Leverkusen lacked control in the second half of their 3-0 win over Elversberg.

Bayer Leverkusen booked their place in the next round of the DFB-Pokal with a comfortable 3-0 win over Elversberg. But Simon Rolfes wasn’t happy with everything he saw.

With a 3-0 lead at the break, Leverkusen took their foot off the gas a little too much in the second half for the club’s managing director for sport’s liking.

“We did very well in the first half, playing with a lot of forward movement and taking an early lead. But in the second half we could have had more ball control and dominance,” Rolfes told Sky Germany.

“It’s often the case that it’s easier for you when you have more control of the game and possession. We don’t want to hand the ball over to our opponents so much,” added Rolfes, who did not want to use Leverkusen’s tight schedule as an excuse.

“We have a squad that can play every three days.”

All in all, though, Rolfes was satisfied enough.

“We could have controlled the game a bit more in the second half, but in the end we are through to the next round. Everything is fine.”