Next setback for VfB Stuttgart: After the 0-1 draw against VfL Wolfsburg, the Swabians are now last in the table.
Bruno Labbadia walked slowly across the lawn, his expression stony, only occasionally rolling his tongue over his lips. The loud whistles of the audience rang in the ears of the coach of VfB Stuttgart and his dejected players, and they also had to listen to the angry shouts from the Cannstatter Turn: “Wake up, wake up”, the most loyal fans yelled outraged.
Now that the Swabian Red Lantern is still burning, there are cracks in the relationship between the team and the supporters. Which is no wonder, as goalkeeper Fabian Bredlow had to admit. “That was far too little, we all didn’t play well together,” he said after the 0-1 (0-0) loss to VfL Wolfsburg sky, “I understand the fans.” VfB have now played ten games under coach Bruno Labbadia, and have only managed one win.
When they fell to the last place in the table, it became clear again what the Swabians were lacking: they didn’t make enough of too few chances to score. “There were chances, after the 0-1 draw we played the game, but didn’t make enough of our chances,” emphasized Josha Vagnoman, who was called up by national coach Hansi Flick for the international matches against Peru and Belgium on Friday. The defender came on in the 62nd minute.
VfB loses attrition battle against VfL Wolfsburg
Vagnoman was just as unnoticed as Felix Nmecha from Wolfsburg, who was nominated with him, but Omar Marmoush provided the highlight of what was mostly an uneventful game with his goal in the 56th minute. Marmoush was loaned from VfL to VfB in the previous season, but now he gave coach Niko Kovac and his teammates only the second three from the last eight games – and at least for one night close contact with Eintracht Frankfurt in sixth place.
Wolfsburg didn’t play convincingly either, even if captain Maximilian Arnold rightly claimed that he and his teammates didn’t allow “apart from one shot” by Enzo Millot (76th), as VfB were largely unimaginative and, above all, without the necessary punch to equalize urged. “I’m proud of the team and how they defended everything,” said Arnold, confirming: “We’re going home happy.”
VfB Stuttgart – VfL Wolfsburg: The voices
Bruno Labbadia (coach VfB Stuttgart): “We didn’t gain access in the first half. We didn’t behave very well tactically. Wolfsburg are a good team, they’re well-rehearsed, Niko did a good job. In the second half we decided to be a lot more courageous up front We had to attack a few times but we didn’t have the punch.”
Niko Kovac (VfL Wolfsburg coach): “I’m very happy with the performance and the result. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. But we didn’t allow anything worth mentioning. We can be very happy today.”
VfB Stuttgart – VfL Wolfsburg: The data of the game
Stuttgart: Bredlow – Anton (Vagnoman, 62nd), Mavropanos, Ito, Sosa – Karazor (Millot, 62nd), Endo, Haraguchi (Pfeiffer, 88th), Gil Dias (Coulibaly, 62nd), Führich (Tiago Tomas, 62nd ) – Silas
Wolfsburg: Casteels – Fischer, Lacroix, van de Ven, Paulo Otavio (Bornauw, 81st) – Arnold, Nmecha (Guilavogui, 76th), Gerhardt, Wimmer (Baku, 58th), Kaminski (Paredes, 58th) – Marmoush (wind , 81.)
