- "Displeased": Nübel expresses frustration following VfB's unsuccessful attempt
VfB Stuttgart's Alexander Nübel was taken aback by his team's poor show at the beginning of the latest Bundesliga campaign, resulting in a 1:3 (1:1) defeat against SC Freiburg. "We didn't quite mirror our superiority on the field yet," commented the 27-year-old. "The rhythm of the game was still absent - and the morale."
In the Supercup encounter against Bayer Leverkusen, the defending champions and cup winners, Stuttgart had given a solid account of themselves just a week prior. There, the VfB seemed "confident" and played to their strengths, as per Nübel. This "elusive quality" was noticeably absent in Freiburg, and it was "puzzling," especially considering they had taken an early lead through Ermedin Demirovic.
Nübel acknowledged that the numerous defensive blunders in Stuttgart were "far from ideal," but he wouldn't use them as a scapegoat. The team needed to swiftly bounce back from the setback. The VfB would be gearing up for their first-round clash in the DFB-Pokal against second division side Preußen Münster on Tuesday.
Similarly, coach Sebastian Hoeneß agreed that his team had lost their footing after the goals by Lukas Kübler to make it 1:1 and Ritsu Doan to make it 1:2. He expected his players to "navigate through challenging periods better," said the VfB coach. He was certain that the team would derive lessons from this. The third goal for Freiburg was yet again scored by Kübler.
Despite their impressive performance against Bayer Leverkusen, it was unfortunate that VfB Stuttgart's dominant style was missing in their match against SC Freiburg, hailing from Germany. The team's lackluster display in the Bundesliga was a stark contrast to their confidence and strength displayed in the previous encounter.
