VfB Stuttgart didn’t let anything go wrong on the sixth matchday of the Europa League league phase and celebrated a confident 4-1 win against Maccabi Tel Aviv. However, the Swabians’ stars weren’t exactly satisfied afterwards. Striker Deniz Undav in particular gave vent to his frustration on the RTL microphone.
“I’m happy that we won, but I’m not happy with the way we did it. After the 3-0 win, we played erratically again, even though we had addressed things. We no longer had the ease, but everyone wanted to do something,” complained VfB striker Deniz Undav, who didn’t get on the list of goalscorers against Tel Aviv, but was able to shine as a provider, after the game RTL.
Above all, the goal conceded made him “really excited,” said the DFB star. “These are things that we address beforehand and they shouldn’t happen like that. It’s not a question of quality, it’s a question of mentality. These are things that I was angry about.”
When Roy Revivo scored the goal to make it 1:3, the Stuttgart team didn’t look good and were taken by surprise by a long diagonal ball.
Bankruptcy against FC Bayern serves as a role model for VfB Stuttgart
A fact that Undav wants to address in the dressing room: “But we can be even more dominant. The last pass was often a wrong decision. These are things we have to work on.” FC Bayern showed how it’s done on the last Bundesliga match day when they shot the Swabians off the pitch 5-0 and just kept going even when the score was 3-0, said Undav.
Undav received support from keeper Alexander Nübel, who also denounced the behavior of those in front of him: “We don’t play it to the end consistently. We had an opponent at the weekend who played it through to the end. We want that too, but we didn’t. So we always invite the opposing team. We have to keep the pressure on and play actively. That way it stays open.”
Video: “Invite the opponent”: Nübel warns VfB stars
However, the truth is that the country can now have legitimate hopes of a place in the top eight of the league phase again. A circumstance that would save the detour through the playoffs and thus two more English weeks.
Further comments on VfB Stuttgart’s 4-1 win against Maccabi Tel Aviv on RTL:
Maximilian Mittelstädt (goalscorer VfB Stuttgart) …
…on the win: “In the end it was important that we won the game. It was an important win so that we could stay at the top. It was a good team performance and a deserved victory.”
… on the strong left side in the offensive: “We already accelerated on the left, I told Chris that before the game. We created a lot of things and could have even scored one or two more goals.”
… on the weak phase: “Concentration is always important. With Bremen and Hoffenheim there will be opponents who will take advantage of such moments. We have to be awake for over 90 minutes in order to, in the best case, keep the zero. Otherwise it was a good performance.”
… about the many security measures: “I didn’t really notice how big it was from the outside. For us everything was normal, everything was quiet, as you would imagine.”
Alexander Nübel (goalkeeper VfB Stuttgart) …
…on the win: “The win is very, very important. We played relatively okay in the first half, but we were too slow in the second half. We are leading 2-0 and have to keep going. But in the end, the most important thing is that we win the game.”
… on the weak phase: “We don’t consistently play it to the end. We had an opponent at the weekend who played it through to the end. We want that too, but we didn’t have it. So we always invite the opposing team. We have to keep up the pressure and play actively. That way it stays open.”
… about the goal conceded: “The ball goes low. I don’t know who the opponent has there, it was relatively easy. He gets to shoot freely, that’s disgusting. The goal conceded also drags down in the second half and doesn’t help the whole thing because we continue to play forward.”
Deniz Undav (VfB Stuttgart) …
…on his assist: “I could have scored two goals, but unfortunately I had a bad foot. Tiago wanted an assist from me before the game, so I gave it to him. I was afraid that he wouldn’t take part and switch off. He took part and I’m happy that he scored. I’m known for not being an egotist, and I showed that.”
Alexander Wehrle (CEO VfB Stuttgart) …
… on the security precautions (before the game): “The security precautions were massive. There has rarely been a Stuttgart football game where such measures were taken. If you want to play in Europe, you obviously have to accept the geopolitical situation. The entry controls were extreme, it will be impossible for all spectators to be in the stadium at the start of the game. The positive thing is that so far it has remained quiet outside the stadium.”
… on the decision of some fan groups to stay away from the game (before the game): “We are in a very close dialogue with our groups. They have clearly communicated and justified it to us in advance and now again publicly and there are a lot of them there now. I can understand the reasoning.”
… on a possible fan exclusion (before the game): “It wasn’t our topic, the local regulatory authority has to order it. This discussion didn’t take place in Stuttgart. It’s a political issue, the government in England didn’t like what the local regulatory authority did. The initial political situation when it comes to the relationship with Israel is different in Germany. It wouldn’t be okay for football if fans were banned.”
Sebastian Hoeneß (coach VfB Stuttgart) …
… on the importance of the game (before the game): “The game is important for us, it has an impact on next year. Of course there should be a little extra motivation.”
… on the many security precautions (before the game): “It shouldn’t be like that, I can say that much. I saw a little bit on the drive here too. It can’t be changed now.”