After throwing away the game in Freiburg last week, VfB Stuttgart was already under a little pressure ahead of its home game against St. Pauli—and delivered. Especially in terms of commitment and willingness to run, which had recently been criticized.
Two wonderfully worked goals put VfB Stuttgart on the road to victory in their home game against St. Pauli. First, a great combination between Chema and Jamie Leweling, which Ermedin Demirovic finished off with a beautiful solo effort. Then there was a textbook one-touch combination, after which Bilal El Khannouss scored his debut goal for VfB.
The timing – shortly before and shortly after the break – also helped VfB. “It was important to go into halftime with this sense of achievement,” confirmed coach Sebastian Hoeneß after the game on Sky. Before that, however, it had taken hard work against visitors who, although not dangerous before the break, repeatedly hurt Stuttgart with their physicality at the start.
Better running performance than in Freiburg – consequences for the starting eleven
“We were sharp against the ball, we were aggressive,” Hoeneß said happily. “That’s the basis.” He had recently called for this after the poor running performance in Freiburg and the downward trend. In Breisgau, they had run more than seven kilometers less than the Sport-Club (112.52 km). On Friday evening, they ran 117.44 kilometers – more than their opponents St. Pauli. In addition, the Swabians won 58 percent of their tackles.
“More energy, more willingness to run” was also what sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth had seen against FCSP. “The tone during the week was a bit sharper,” he made clear. “The coach clearly defined responsibilities, and that led to this lineup.”
There was no place in the lineup for captain Atakan Karazor, who was replaced by the strong Chema. However, the actual leader took the demotion “like a sportsman” and “supported the team,” emphasized his representative with the captain’s armband, Demirovic – the decisive man on the pitch with a goal and an assist.
Hoeneß satisfied – false start averted
After just four minutes, the striker had already pushed the ball over the line for the first time, but was offside. Just like Angelo Stiller’s disallowed goal in the second half, in which Demirovic had made a decisive move for the ball. Two disallowed goals, plus the chance from Stiller’s missed penalty. The Stuttgart camp was satisfied with the victory. “We showed today what we are capable of,” Hoeneß explained after the previous disappointing performances, but warned: “There is absolutely no reason to get carried away now.”
After previously earning three points from three games, his team had come under criticism. “Of course it’s not good,” Demirovic acknowledged, but he also emphasized: “Talking about a false start and seeing everything negatively is also the wrong approach.” With six points from four games, that is no longer an issue. The VfB players can reinforce this on Thursday in the Europa League with a win in their first home game against Celta Vigo.