Hoeneß says Stuttgart "must improve" after Gladbach loss
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"We are not satisfied; we are disappointed," said head coach Sebastian Hoeneß, reflecting on the game. "We knew this would be a challenging match. Coming off Wednesday's defeat, we were in an emotionally difficult situation and faced a strong opponent in Gladbach. Given these circumstances, the first half was decent. We controlled the game overall, and the intensity was there, but we struggled to create clear chances."
"At the start of the second half, we reacted well and managed to equalise after falling behind. At that moment, we hoped to build momentum and keep pushing forward, but that didn’t happen. Instead, the game became too chaotic and open. We failed to at least secure the draw, and that’s on us. We must improve because we threw away a promising position far too easily."
Stuttgart goalkeeper Alexander Nübel echoed his coach's sentiments.
"It was a strange game. We started well but conceded the first goal. You could feel that it affected us, we didn’t shake it off easily."
"After halftime, we responded well, applied pressure, and deservedly equalised. Then, the game entered a chaotic phase where both teams had great chances. Unfortunately, in the end, we not only failed to win but even lost the point we had."
"Now, we must quickly shift our focus because we have a crucial DFB-Pokal match on Tuesday. That’s a huge opportunity for us, and we are determined to advance to the next round. We will fully concentrate on that."
Midfielder Angelo Stiller was equally frustrated with the result.
"Losing at home is tough, everyone can imagine how disappointed we are right now."
"For large stretches, we played a solid game, got back into it with the equaliser, and wanted to push for the second goal. But we made too many mistakes, and Gladbach punished us ruthlessly. The opponent didn’t have to do much to take all three points today."
"We had the potential to get much more out of this match, which makes this loss even more frustrating."
With a crucial DFB-Pokal quarter-final against Augsburg on the horizon, Stuttgart will look to regroup ahead of a crucial period.
