Mario Gomez relentlessly practised self-criticism at Eurosport after the 2:2 in the first leg of the Bundesliga delegation against Union Berlin. Nevertheless, he is annoyed by the pessimism of individual fans of VfB Stuttgart. Christian Gentner and interim coach Nico Willig also stress that the relegation has not yet been sealed.
Here are the voices and reactions to the first leg between VfB Stuttgart and Union Berlin.
Nico Willig (interim coach VfB Stuttgart): “We certainly imagined it differently, but it’s only halftime. This will be a thrilling finale in Berlin, which we have to decide for ourselves. We have tried to invest a great deal forward, Union has cleverly exploited our mistakes.
… about the veterans Mario Gomez and Christian Gentner: “Of course both are very important. They are the leading players of this team. They were important this time too, but they can’t fix it alone.”
Christian Gentner (VfB Stuttgart): “The majority applauded at the end. The fans have supported us over 90 minutes again super. This isn’t a dream result today, but we haven’t relegated yet. On Monday we still have the chance to keep our class. The goals against were scored after high balls, that is what the Union was aiming for today. We didn’t manage to keep them away from the goal in situations like this.”
Mario Gomez (VfB Stuttgart): “That’s definitely too little, but it’s settled at the end. We have to try to be more stable in the back – especially with headers we didn’t have a good staggering. But I don’t like this whole mood now. If you believe in yourself and know that you can win in Berlin, you go out with your head held high. We haven’t offered anything all season. It’s up to our fans’ necks, it’s up to our necks. Most of the fans pushed us to the end. We need each and every one of them. We’re having a hard time, you could tell.”
Urs Fischer (Trainer Union Berlin): “It was a great performance from us. Stuttgart took the lead with the first real attack. You saw the quality in the switching game. It was important to balance out in a timely manner. That gave the team courage for the rest of the game. It was important to show courage. “To put yourself 90 minutes in the back wouldn’t have worked.”
… about Sebastian Andersson: “He showed a good performance. He had one or two goal chances, maybe he lacked a bit of luck. Of course, Zieler also kept strong. But he put himself completely at the service of the team, rubbed himself out and showed a good performance.”
… about the second leg: “As with every game, we want to win the game. We can count on our fans and the first leg gives us courage.”
Christopher Trimmel (Captain Union Berlin): “We have proven many times this season that we can play good football. We threw everything in today and took a very good result with us. We are very strong at home, as Stuttgart knows. Hopefully the ascent will work out.”
