Baumann: "We were lacking courage"

Maximilian Beier: "Stuttgart were significantly better. We did not do what we intended to do today. We have to accept defeat. We need to analyse and try to do better. We want to play in Europe next year – we want to fight for that. It's hard to look forward to the national team in this moment after that match."

Oliver Baumann: "We were lacking courage and activity. We simply could not assert ourselves. We had one shot on goal, and we allowed them too many chances at the back. You have to cover up, then have the courage to play out. They make the pitch extremely big, so we got into a lot of one-on-one duels. They won most of them, and we didn't defend well, especially in the first half. We have to manage to show the potential we have out on the pitch. There are too many ups and downs, you just have to say. Every point that we haven't picked up hurts because it is so tight this season. That means we have to deliver, and we didn't do that today. I would like to mention again that Tim Drexler had a great game. He was brave and trusted himself. Now I will bring Maxi to the national team and give him a little hand."

Wout Weghorst: "It's really frustrating. This game is important for the club and the fans, so this is a very frustrating evening. We had no control – Stuttgart were very dominant. It got a little better, but then they made it 2-0 just before the break. It was very difficult for us today."

Pellegrino Matarazzo: "It was a well-deserved victory for Stuttgart, and the scoreline didn't flatter them. That was due in part to a strong VfB team, but was also partly down to us. In the first half, we weren't brave enough. We went in with a different approach. We wanted to press Stuttgart higher than in the reverse fixture and use the ball better when in possession. However, we weren't able to assert ourselves frequently enough and created too few chances. Stuttgart always look dangerous in front of goal, and at the same time, they are able to move the ball constantly. On top of that, they are also very strong at pressing, so they can set themselves up in the opposing half. That meant we had hardly any breathing space."

Sebastian Hoeness (VfB Stuttgart head coach): "The first half is up there with the best we have played this season. We implemented a great deal of what we had set out to do. We didn't allow them many chances and created a lot of chances. That's why the 2-0 lead was deserved. That was the basis for the victory. In the second half, we had more chances to get a clearer result. It was a top performance from the lads. We are on a run at the moment and have a certain self-image, and then that results in performances like that."

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