Botched Bundesliga start: Lots of frustration and defensive worries at VfB Stuttgart

VfB Stuttgart got off to a weak start in the Bundesliga: after two games, the Swabians have only one point. The runners-up are not yet in full swing – and have a tough schedule ahead of them after the international break: first they go to Gladbach, then the CL highlight at the Santiago Bernabeu against Real Madrid, before the duel with Boussia Dortmund at the end of the English week. So, looking back, the point is clearly not enough. And after the wild 3:3 against Mainz, the anger is directed at the defensive work and the referee.

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Bundesliga start missed: Hoeneß sees VfB on “the right track”

At times, the spectacle was reminiscent of VfB Stuttgart’s furious preseason. A huge white fan caravan had moved to the stadium before the game, the Swabians had quickly taken a 2-0 lead and joker Fabian Rieder had rocked the arena with his supposed winning goal – but then Maxim Leitsch crashed the party and brought the runners-up back to the present with the equalizer in injury time.

The wild game against Mainz caused the Stuttgarters more frustration than pleasure. Their anger was also directed at referee Timo Gerach, but they should start looking for faults within themselves. The start of the season in the Bundesliga was a failure. After two match days, VfB is only on one point, has a major defensive problem to work on – and has a tough schedule ahead of them after the international break.

“Overall, things are going in the right direction,” said VfB coach Sebastian Hoeneß. Sports director Fabian Wohlgemuth also sees Stuttgart “on the right path.” Of course, they can’t be “completely happy” with the results so far, admitted the 45-year-old. Of the four competitive games so far this season, VfB has only won one – in the first round of the DFB Cup with a 5-0 win against Preußen Münster. Last week’s victory was important after the defeats in the Supercup in Leverkusen and at the league opener in Freiburg, but the second division team is ultimately not a benchmark.

Defense “not always solid”: VfB Stuttgart are missing Anton and Ito

Stuttgart must accelerate, especially at the back, if they are not to make a complete false start to their stuttering start. Borussia Mönchengladbach and Borussia Dortmund are their next opponents in the Bundesliga, and in between they face Real Madrid in the Champions League. High hurdles await. Coach Hoeneß has already announced that they will continue to work on their defensive processes. The coach is aware that conceding six goals in two league games is too many – and not just due to a lack of personnel.

The defense, in which 20-year-old Anrie Chase was allowed to play from the start, was “not always rock solid,” said sporting director Wohlgemuth after the tie against Mainz. The comeback of long-injured full-back Josha Vagnoman in the second half was encouraging. But Wohlgemuth also noticed that the team had “let the game slip out of their hands” at times, as in Freiburg. This has less to do with personnel, but is currently a central problem for VfB.

Anger at the referee: Referee “didn’t have his best day”

After goals from Enzo Millot (8th minute) and Jamie Leweling (15th), Stuttgart could have decided the match early on. But they took the tempo out of the game – and brought Mainz back into it themselves. Nadiem Amiri scored a penalty (43rd minute) and Jonathan Burkardt (62nd minute) equalized. Rieder (88th minute) put VfB back in the lead, and Leitsch (90th+4), who had also been substituted on, struck back once again. The first two Mainz goals were preceded by controversial scenes, which annoyed Stuttgart. “Too little for a penalty,” said Wohlgemuth and Hoeneß about the duel between Millot and Burkardt before the 1:2. The Mainz player fell because he was given a “walking error,” as he himself described it.

Before the 2:2, there was a handball by the guests, the Swabians. The referee “didn’t have his best day either,” summed up sports director Wohlgemuth. Ref annoyance, defensive problems, a flood of goals conceded – a lot is happening again at VfB, which is still in the process of finding its feet after another squad shake-up in the summer and has to get used to its new role as the hunted runner-up. It is still causing him more frustration than pleasure.

topicnews · September 1, 2024

Botched Bundesliga start: Lots of frustration and defensive worries at VfB Stuttgart – News about VfB Stuttgart

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