After a disappointing start to the Bundesliga season, VfB has effortlessly advanced to the second round of the cup. In a 5–0 victory in Münster, the team was not heavily challenged but showed that they have regained the right attitude.
It would have been typical for VfB to stumble in the cup against a newly promoted second division team after an opening defeat in the Bundesliga. At least in the past. However, last season we learned that this team is quite capable of responding to setbacks, and they demonstrated this once again at the Preussenstadion in Münster. Admittedly, without their top scorer Malik Batmaz, the Westphalians seemed quite helpless offensively. At some point, I stopped counting the balls that flew over the barrier behind Alex Nübel’s goal in the first half and disappeared into nothing. Defensively, VfB quickly pulled the plug on the hosts with crosses from the left and a strong presence in the penalty area, so the 5–0 scoreline was fully deserved. As a VfB fan, one enjoyed a relaxed and quite lively evening in a new stadium for many of those who traveled along.
However, this game also provided some valuable insights that Sebastian Hoeneß and his team can build on. The most important takeaway was that the attitude towards the game and the opponent was right again. For Münster, this cup match, even though it didn’t take place on a Saturday afternoon as it should have, was the next highlight after their promotion in the summer. However, the players in the red and white shirts dashed any hopes of a cup upset within 15 minutes, and it’s telling that Angelo Stiller, who was fortunately back in his usual position, was involved in both goals. Given the early lead, the coach’s rotation, which brought Woltemade and Rieder onto the pitch and sent Millot and Undav to the bench, paid off. After the 3–0 lead, Hoeneß could afford to rest Millot, who had been consistently playing recently, and address Deniz Undav’s lack of training by subbing him in after an hour.
At the beginning
And there was another debutant in the starting eleven: Anrie Chase showed that, with Angelo Stiller playing as a defensive midfielder, he might have been the better option in the central defense position even against Freiburg. Perhaps, though, this game was perfectly suited for his first start. The Preussen didn’t present VfB with major technical challenges but demanded constant attention. Chase routinely headed away balls, outpaced opponents, positioned himself well in the build-up play, and all in all had a solid performance. At the other end of the good-mood scale seemed to be Silas, who, against an overwhelmed opponent, was eventually overshadowed by substitutes Diehl and Hendriks and, in my opinion, was not coincidentally standing somewhat apart from the team during the post-game celebrations.
Of course, you shouldn’t overestimate such a game where the team showed the right attitude but still made some inaccuracies. Particularly memorable to me was Jeff Chabot, who, after losing the ball, cleared it from the danger zone with his back to the opponent, flicking it over his own head. This doesn’t quite fit into Sebastian Hoeneß’s style of play, which is based on ball control and precision, and in this scene, it also didn’t have the desired effect. Naturally, Münster is not a pushover and was waiting for their chances. Logically, we have to rotate, and not everyone who started in the cup will be in the lineup on Saturday. However, it is clear from what Sebastian Hoeneß said after the match: “We are at the beginning.” Naturally, with the summer’s transfer expenditures and the Champions League starting in just under three weeks, there is a bit less time for development compared to last year. It’s also clear that neither a defeat on the first matchday nor a clear cup victory is truly significant in assessing VfB’s season start. The team still needs to improve, and I am confident that they can.
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