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Stuttgart (dpa) - Questions about possible European Cup ambitions only provoke a mix of head shaking and grinning at Pellegrino Matarazzo.
Even after the 1-0 (0-0) against SV Werder Bremen, the coach of VfB Stuttgart could not be lured from the reserve.
"We take on the fight every weekend to measure ourselves against a good Bundesliga opponent," said Matarazzo.
However, he did not want to have anything to do with a fight for international places.
The eighth-placed climber with seven game days to go are just four points away.
Why are the Swabians still writhing around an announcement to the teams in the upper third of the table?
On the one hand, because they “have done well so far, looking at our performance and tackling it match day after match day”, as Matarazzo emphasized.
On the other hand, because they probably don't want to give the impression of being able to lose anything in the final phase of the season.
The expectations have already been exceeded, the necessary points for the intended relegation have already been almost completely achieved.
Anything left now is a bonus.
In the past, VfB has often got lost in the gap between aspiration and reality.
That should end.
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Against Werder, the Stuttgart could have lived with a point.
Since Bremen defender Ludwig Augustinsson made an own goal nine minutes before the end of the game, it was still three points.
“You can feel that the team believes in themselves right up to the end.
This is a positive development, ”said Matarazzo, praising his young team and also seeing the late victory as a“ sign of maturity ”.
The absence of the offensive top performers Silas Wamangituka (cruciate ligament tear) and Nicolas Gonzalez (torn muscle fiber) had certainly made itself felt in the Swabians.
Over long distances they created - just like the Bremen team, who had to do without the suspended striker Joshua Sargent - only by shooting from a distance.
And yet the result shows that the failure of such pillars does not immediately bring the VfB overall structure to collapse.
Far from panicking after the third defeat in a row, Werder coach Florian Kohfeldt was also.
He called the seven point lead over the relegation place "stable".
And if Bremen were to “remain stable in the league and possibly advance to the semi-finals in the cup”, they would have “played an excellent season”.
After the cup quarter-finals at Jahn Regensburg on Wednesday, Werder will continue in the league against RB Leipzig on Saturday.
Without the suspended Maximilian Eggestein (5th yellow card) - but obviously still in good spirits.
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© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210404-99-84890 / 2
Squad VfB Stuttgart
Schedule VfB Stuttgart
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Squad Werder Bremen
Schedule Werder Bremen