Best start to the season in the club’s history: “A lot of things were surreal” at VfB

6th win in a row

If things are going well at VfB Stuttgart, it can sometimes be enough if the top goalscorer can only play for 29 minutes. At least there was still enough time for Serhou Guirassy to take the lead in a 3-0 (1-0) win at 1. FC Union Berlin. “A lot of things seem surreal at the moment. “Sometimes you have to pinch yourself whether it’s really real,” said Maximilian Mittelstädt about the Champions League starter’s clear victory in the end. VfB has never had a better start to a Bundesliga season. Even without Guirassy, ​​who had to leave the field after 29 minutes with muscular problems, VfB played confidently to victory.

A snapshot – or more? VfB coach Sebastian Hoeneß did not want to take over what was a classic for Köpenick on the way to the premier class last season. “Of course we stick to staying in the here and now. Of course it’s great to be there, but we’ve played eight games now.” The best start to the season so far was in the 2004/05 season, when we had 20 points at the same time. Only four teams achieved more than the 21 points that VfB has collected so far on the first eight matchdays – including Bayer 04 Leverkusen this season.

In front of 22,012 spectators in the sold-out An der Alten Försterei stadium, Guirassy scored his 14th goal of the season for coach Hoeneß’s team. The Guinea international was the first professional to score 14 goals on the first eight matchdays of a Bundesliga season (statistics). Shortly before the end, substitutes Silas (81′) and Deniz Undav (88′) increased the score.

Especially in the first half, VfB posed big problems for the Berliners with their high pressing. “We had no access to the game at all. We always came a step too late,” said Union coach Urs Fischer. “We could hardly keep the ball at the front.” We heard that all too often from Berlin’s opponents last season. Union and Stuttgart, opponents in the Bundesliga relegation games in 2019, have swapped roles so far this season.

It is by far the longest losing streak for the “Iron” under coach Urs Fischer and the first time that the team went three first division home games in a row without a point. The next difficult task for the Berliners is on Tuesday in the Champions League game against SSC Napoli (9 p.m.).

And the Swabians? European business has long seemed a realistic goal, but the VfB professionals remain modest. “Even if you win so confidently 3-0 against a Champions League participant, you don’t want to speak directly of a top team. But we have all the qualities to continue winning games like this,” said Mittelstädt. Hoeneß said he didn’t have to pinch himself: “I can classify things well. But I know we’re having an extraordinary run right now.”

But a lot will undoubtedly depend on the severity of Guirassy’s injury. “He has muscular problems. We don’t have an MRI here. We will carry out all the examinations that are otherwise available. Then we can say more,” said Hoeneß. “He couldn’t continue playing or didn’t have a good feeling about it. Of course we didn’t want to take any risks.” At least: the 27-year-old was able to come off the bench to celebrate after the goals in the final phase.

Update 12:32 p.m.: Guirassy will be missing from VfB for “a few weeks”. The Stuttgart company announced this on Sunday. Accordingly, the striker suffered “a muscle injury in his left rear thigh.” “Serhou’s loss is bitter for him personally and for us as a team. Everyone has seen what great shape Serhou was in recently. We must and will compensate for his loss as best as possible,” coach Hoeneß is quoted as saying. According to VfB, no structural injury was found in Dan-Axel Zagadou, who was also substituted.

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