“I have to put my foot down now!” – Hoeneß defends Undav amid growing criticism | OneFootball

VfB Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeneß is growing tired of questions about Deniz Undav’s form.

The 30-year-old has yet to find the net three games into the season and was most recently substituted 70 minutes into Stuttgart’s 4-1 win over 1. FC Köln.

Hoeneß, however, is by no means concerned about his captain and believes the criticism surrounding the striker has been exaggerated.

“I have to put my foot down now. This is getting out of hand,” Hoeneß said at a press conference ahead of Stuttgart’s Champions League opener against Viking FK on Wednesday when asked about Undav’s dip in form, according to DPA.

He added that “everyone simply needs to understand” that Undav is a “huge part” of the reason why Stuttgart are in the Champions League.

“He hasn’t played anywhere near as catastrophically as some of the coverage of him suggests.”

Whether Undav gets back on the scoresheet in Wednesday’s Champions League opener is not the most important thing for the Stuttgart coach.

“Anyone who starts trying to explain Deniz Undav through statistics has already lost, in my view. He is where he is today because he has followed his own path and has a mind of his own. That’s how you have to approach him,” said Hoeneß, who also played down concerns over the Achilles tendon problems Undav experienced following Friday’s win over Köln.