Mith the next defeat, the situation of VfB Stuttgart in the fight against relegation from the Bundesliga becomes more and more tricky. The 0:1 (0:0) against VfL Wolfsburg was another setback for the Swabians on Saturday. In a long-distance duel with their rivals in the fight for remaining in the class, the Swabians slipped from trainer Bruno Labbadia to last place in the table.
In front of 44,900 spectators, former VfB striker Omar Marmoush decided the game for Wolfsburg with his goal in the 56th minute. Coach Niko Kovac’s team from Lower Saxony had the hoped-for sense of achievement to keep up in the race for international places. In the closing stages, Stuttgart demanded a hand penalty when substitute Enzo Millot shot Sebastiaan Bornauw – but referee Felix Brych decided against a penalty.
Goalkeeper Fabian Bredlow said after the final whistle. “That was far too little, we all didn’t play well together. He “understands the fans”, who whistled at the team and shouted “Wake up”. “There were chances, after the 0:1 we played the game, but didn’t make enough of our chances,” said the new international Josha Vagnoman.
It was a disappointing reunion with his former club for Labbadia. In 2017/18 he had saved Lower Saxony from relegation in the relegation and formed him into a Europa League participant the following season. This duel is only special because his current employer, VfB, urgently needs three points, the coach emphasized before his tenth appearance with the Stuttgart team. Again nothing came of it.
Vagnoman initially on the bench
Vagnoman has a difficult time with the 57-year-old Labbadia – and even after his first nomination for the upcoming international matches, he was only on the bench until after the deficit. From there, the right-back had to watch a tough first half. After an uneventful initial quarter of an hour, there was only a momentary momentum with the first chances.
Stuttgart’s Gil Dias forced Wolfsburg’s Koen Casteels to make a save (16′). On the other side, VfB goalkeeper Fabian Bredlow prevented Jakub Kaminski (17th) from going behind with a brilliant reaction. Wolfsburg midfielder Felix Nmecha, like Vagnoman as one of five newcomers in the squad of national coach Hansi Flick, made a shot from the edge of the penalty area just before the break (45th), but shot over it. Labbadia had prepared for a “war of attrition”. He should be right.
The Swabians have had to replace their top scorer Serhou Guirassy for weeks due to an adductor injury. This time, the actual winger Silas Katompa Mvumpa was the replacement at the top. However, VfB did not manage to better integrate the attacker into the game. Silas hardly touched the ball, Borna Sosa’s crosses were not a suitable means and often did not find a taker.
On the defensive, the hosts did not defend consistently against Marmoush. The Wolfsburg player had space, marched and overcame VfB goalkeeper Bredlow from around 20 meters. Labbadia then made four changes, bringing in Vagnoman, Enzo Millot, Tanguy Coulibaly and Tiago Tomas. Millot (77′) didn’t get much more than one chance – it was VfB’s first chance for a long time. The second Wolfsburg goal by Kevin Paredes (64th) did not count because of an offside position.
