‘We have confidence in the players’ – Sebastian Hoeneß happy with Stuttgart squad depth | OneFootball

Sebastian Hoeneß made 10 changes to his Stuttgart team that beat Mainz 2-1 on Sunday evening following their defeat against Fenerbahce on Thursday night.

Deniz Undav captained VfB on his first start in almost two months, the German a welcomed return following the departure of Nick Woltemade and injury to Ermedin Demirovic.

Stuttgart’s defensive contingent was made up of Finn Jeltsch, Dax-Axel Zagadou, Ameen Al-Dakhil, Pascal Stenzel and Josha Vagnoman. Speaking post-match, Hoeneß appeared jubilant with his squad.

“After the long and intensive trip to Istanbul, we opted for a fresh team to bring energy onto the pitch,” said VfB’s head coach. “I think we were rewarded for that to some extent.

“We’re talking about Daxo (Zagadou), Calle (Stenzel’s nickname) and Ameen at the end, who may have surprised us quite a bit. But we have confidence in the players, and there has to be a moment when you throw them in.”

Given Stuttgart play seven games in 22 days, rotation is key. “We have a responsibility to protect the players because the workload has been very high, and on the other hand, to give others confidence,” added Hoeneß.

GGFN | Daniel Pinder