VfB Stuttgart is in 16th place in the table. In an interview, sports director Sven Mislintat announces a “very critical” analysis.
SWR Sports: How firmly is coach Pellegrino Matarazzo still in the saddle?
Sven Mislintat: It’s certainly fair to ask the question when we haven’t won eight games. But it’s always very important to stay on point and in analysis and to look at what we did well and badly in the game, as well as in the course of the season so far. Therefore: The trainer is not part of the analysis.
SWR Sports: Where do you see the reasons for the 2-3 defeat in Wolfsburg?
Sven Mislintat: I think we didn’t get into the game in the first half. That was definitely one of the worst performances since we’ve been playing Bundesliga football. We were very, very lucky to be 2-2 at half-time with a very effective evaluation of our chances to score. But we also have to be honest that Flo (goalkeeper Florian Müller) kept us in the game very well, with the exception of the second goal we conceded. But the first half, in the whole approach, in the implementation, didn’t work. We have to be very critical with ourselves.
SWR Sports: Why do these many individual mistakes happen?
Sven Mislintat: That’s difficult to answer. This also varies from type to type. The focus is an issue. To be tough in the end, but also in these situations, not to let anything burn, just not wanting to keep the ball in play, but to be smart. We can’t do that right now. We did better until the Bayern game.
SWR Sports: So was it a deserved defeat in Wolfsburg?
Sven Mislintat: We have to say very clearly that, looking at the game as a whole, we suffered a well-deserved defeat against a bad Wolfsburg. But we should not make the mistake of glossing over this or beating around the bush. It is also a fact that the second half could have meant a 3:2 for us – given the chances that we had through Endo and especially through Silas. That’s why it really hurts that we conceded 3-2 so late.
SWR Sports: The next three games are home games. There should be points…
Sven Mislintat: Yes, now the home games against Union Berlin, VfL Bochum and Arminia Bielefeld (DFB-Pokal) are coming. These are very important weeks for us.
