With their win against Union Berlin, VfB Stuttgart showed why they are a top team. Maybe that’s why the Stuttgart team are calm and leave the dreaming to the fans.
In the Stuttgart city train, where “Dear VfBlers” blares from the loudspeakers on match days, not everything goes according to plan the morning after the Swabians’ 2-0 win against Union Berlin. The remains of the fan party from Friday evening are obvious at the stops, and on the train it is upside down: the newspaper with the headline about VfB and the picture of Sebastian Hoeneß. The newspaper, almost carelessly stuck in the shelf next to the door, but symbolic of the mood in Stuttgart at the moment – it’s on at VfB.
“What is happening this year is extraordinary,” said Chris Führich in an interview with SWR Sport after the win against Köpenick. “There’s a lot of work behind it.” The goalscorer pushed his socks down to make it 2-0 in the 65th minute and took off his shin pads. Just a few meters away, sports director Fabian Wohlgemuth is talking about that very goal. As beautiful as Arjen Robben’s goals once were. For Wohlgemuth, however, his left winger remains “Chris”.
Stuttgarter “Struggle”
And “Chris” was well aware after the game: “We also had phases in this game where things could go wrong.” The first of these phases occurred right at the start of the game. The Iron Men started with early pressing, forcing VfB who initially had to play without the ailing captain Waldemar Anton with a newly formed defense, made mistakes straight away and could have taken the lead through Yorbe Vertessen in the 3rd minute.
But the Belgian didn’t take advantage of his starting eleven or the opportunity to take Berlin’s early lead. But VfB sorted itself out, the defense and its own game. “We struggled a bit,” says Führich, who, together with Maximilian Mittelstädt, raised a lot of alarm on the left side after Berlin’s warning shot.
“Not the best game,” but a win
“Last year we always lost games like this, but now you can see that we can still do good things with the ball and get the game on our side,” explains Führich. “Even if it’s not the best game, we have to stay grown up and pull things off.” The first thing comes unsurprisingly to Serhou Guirassy with his 23rd goal of the season, his 21st in the Bundesliga.
VfB defender Rouault suffers a broken jaw
VfB will probably have to be without defender Anthony Rouault for four to six weeks. Rouault suffered a fractured lower jaw in the game on Friday evening and had to undergo surgery, VfB announced on Saturday. The Frenchman was substituted at half-time. Because he broke his nose several weeks ago, the 22-year-old played with a face mask.
The performance was particularly impressive because VfB won the game after the opening goal at the latest, had 70 percent possession of the ball in the meantime and forced the guests from Berlin into a mode in which they primarily reacted. Although the Köpenick team still created opportunities after the break, like against Dortmund, coach Nenad Bjelica’s team handled them far too carelessly. András Schäfer committed a serious foul in the 69th minute – open sole, stretched leg and endangering the health of opponent Josha Vagnoman – and was shown red for it.
VfB confident and calm
VfB played the game against ten Köpenick players calmly but confidently. “They are just really good players who are able to recognize things and implement things. All of this together means that we are stable,” says Hoeneß about his team. The Swabians are also stable thanks to the coach – his early contract extension caused cheers in the stadium before kick-off – and the players. “We were really happy. That’s a statement from the coach – for the club and for the fans. We’re all happy about it,” says Führich.
It’s not the greatest ecstasy, but perhaps that’s something that currently sets VfB apart – dealing with even big news calmly. Like with big goals. “Of course we have the ambition and ambition to stay up there. We are clear about that,” says Hoeneß. “And in the end everyone knows that it’s all about training and performance on the weekend. We don’t need to talk a lot, we don’t need to dream a lot. We have to deliver.” And then next season in Stuttgart it might not just be the newspaper on the tram that will be upside down.