Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeness: “Gasperini changed the game.” | OneFootball

Sebastian Hoeness discussed the away match against Roma in his pre-match press conference.

From the Olimpico, the venue for the seventh matchday of the Europa League League Phase, the Stuttgart coach analyzed the match against the Giallorossi.

The coach began with some information on the squad’s current form: “We have to deal with some absences. El Bilal and El Khannouss are out. Jovanovic has some back problems. Stiller is a doubt. Tomas also has a muscle problem, as are Zagadou and Jaguez, who are unavailable.”

In particular, he focused on Stiller’s condition: “I can’t give any predictions, and I wouldn’t be able to. The probability of him being available is very slim, but he came with us to Rome. We’ll see in the next few hours, but I can’t tell you anything for now. From a tactical standpoint, Chema is the first choice to replace Stiller; I have faith in him. We see”.

Hoeness then moved on to the feelings the Stadio Olimpico evokes in him: “It’s emotional. It reminds us of Berlin. Tomorrow, we’ll have two teams with great history. Roma is one of the strongest in the Europa League with an extraordinary coach; we already faced him when he was at Atalanta. You can see his touch; it’ll be a tough match. We want to get points like them; let’s see if we can secure a place in the round of 16. It’ll be a great match.”

Regarding his opponents, particularly Gasperini’s style of play, he emphasized the Giallorossi coach’s impact: “It’s not up to me to say it. This impact is there; Gasperini’s marking style has changed football. First at Atalanta and now at Roma, his style of football is only possible with certain characteristics in the squad. I believe he still has them now. He’s brought Atalanta to an international level. Congratulations to him and his staff.”

On the pressure of the match: “We must remember that it’s not a given that we’ll end up with 12 points and a chance to reach the round of 16. We’ll try to get the points we need, despite the fact that Roma are strong and will want to win.” Finally, an analysis of the opponents, especially Manu Koné: “We know him well; he’s shown his quality. He showed off his skills in Rome; he’s one of Gasperini’s core players. He, Cristante, and El Aynaoui are exceptional players. It will be tough to play against him tomorrow.”