VfB Stuttgart Board Member for Sport Fabian Wohlgemuth has acknowledged the seriousness of his club’s Bundesliga struggles following Friday evening’s home defeat against Borussia Mönchengladbach. The Swabians have now lost five of their opening seven league fixtures, collecting just six points despite their considerably more encouraging performances in the Champions League.
Speaking to reporters in the mixed zone following the defeat, Wohlgemuth admitted that Stuttgart’s domestic form warranted serious scrutiny. The 47-year-old also expressed understanding for the frustration of the supporters, who whistled at their team following another disappointing performance.
“The right questions need to be asked of all of those involved,” Wohlgemuth remarked in the mixed zone.
Stuttgart entered Friday’s encounter hoping to build on their encouraging midweek Champions League performance against Atlético Madrid. Instead, Sebastian Hoeneß’ team surrendered an early lead and suffered another damaging Bundesliga defeat.
Wohlgemuth’s Champions League optimism quickly evaporates
The contrast with Tuesday evening could scarcely be greater. Following Stuttgart’s impressive 1-1 draw against Atlético, Wohlgemuth had hailed the performance as the club’s best of the season.
“These games in the middle of the week are something special,” Wohlgemuth told reporters after the Champions League encounter. “In the Champions League, the fans are ever more present. After the choreo, the fans were excited and present. They put a lot of work [into the choreo] and it had a special effect on the players. Our players were driven towards a top performance. That’s one reason why, in my opinion, it was the best game of the current season.”
The Stuttgart executive had also expressed confidence that the team’s European performances could eventually translate into improved domestic results.
“We can take a lot out of this game,” Wohlgemuth said on Tuesday. “The teams that are ahead of us in the Bundesliga [table] – there may be more of them than at this precise point last year – we can pick up points against them. That [feeling] is stronger after [tonight’s] game than before [tonight’s] game.”
Just three days later, that optimism suffered a significant setback.
Stuttgart initially appeared well positioned to capitalize on their positive Champions League momentum when Ermedin Demirovic opened the scoring in the fifth minute against Gladbach. The hosts dominated much of the opening half-hour but gradually lost control of the encounter. Joe Scally equalized in the 38th minute before Shuto Machino and 17-year-old Wael Mohya completed an extraordinary turnaround for the previously pointless visitors.
Demirovic’s second goal in the 83rd minute ultimately proved insufficient.
Stuttgart’s Bundesliga difficulties reach a new low
Wohlgemuth was particularly disappointed by his team’s inability to respond as Gladbach gained control.
“We saw two different sides of ourselves today,” Wohlgemuth told reporters in the mixed zone. “We didn’t do enough to resist the negative developments during the match. We could have been further ahead in the first half.”
“I understand that our league form leaves much to be desired and that the fans whistled [due to disappointment] with the result,” Wohlgemuth added later. “For all that we have accomplished, there are teams that can overtake us in the Bundesliga table before the weekend is out.”
Stuttgart have collected seven points from three Champions League matches, demonstrating their ability to compete against high-quality international opposition. In the Bundesliga, however, they have lost five times in seven outings and remain vulnerable to slipping further down the table as the weekend’s remaining fixtures unfold.
The Swabians face another demanding domestic assignment away at Bayer Leverkusen next Saturday. Before that, Stuttgart meet Wohlgemuth’s former club Paderborn in the DFB-Pokal on Wednesday, a fixture the executive himself warned in the mixed zone cannot be taken for granted.