VfB Stuttgart captain Deniz Undav delivered a searingly honest assessment of his team’s domestic malaise on Saturday, warning that the club must abandon any illusions of grandeur if they are to salvage their Bundesliga season.
Following a frustrating 1-0 defeat away to Hamburger SV, the 30-year-old forward did not mince words regarding his team’s slide toward the bottom of the table. Despite dominating proceedings at the Volksparkstadion, Stuttgart were undone by a spectacular 88th-minute winner from HSV’s Miro Muheim, marking the club’s fourth loss in just six league matches.
“We have to start realizing that we’re not a top team at the moment,” Undav told Sky Germany in the aftermath of the defeat. “Compared with previous years, we’re lacking a great deal.”
The statistical breakdown of the afternoon only deepened the frustration for Sebastian Hoeneß’s side. Stuttgart enjoyed 66 percent possession and fired 24 shots at the Hamburg goal, generating an expected goals (xG) value of 1.69. Yet, the clinical edge that defined their successful campaigns of the past was conspicuously absent. Undav himself was a primary culprit, accounting for seven of those attempts, including a shot that rattled the post and another denied by a standout save from Hamburg goalkeeper Daniel Heuer Fernandes.
“We managed to win games like this in previous years,” Undav reflected. “We put those chances away. This year, however, we’re struggling to do that.”
The defeat leaves Stuttgart languishing in 13th place, sitting perilously just one point above the relegation playoff zone. The situation is a stark contrast to their form in European competition; while Hoeneß’s side has enjoyed a perfect start in the Champions League—including a dominant 3-0 victory over Slovan Bratislava earlier this week—they have failed to translate that momentum into Bundesliga consistency.
For Undav, the individual struggle mirrors the collective. Despite finding the net in the midweek European fixture, the striker remains goalless in the Bundesliga after six appearances. The recurring tactical shifts under Hoeneß have left the team searching for an identity, and as the losses mount, the pressure on the squad to find stability intensifies.
While Undav stopped short of dismissing the team’s overall progress—pointing to recent competitive wins as evidence of potential—his parting words served as a sobering wake-up call for the club.
“We have to work on this to get back up there,” Undav said. “Otherwise, it’s going to be a very tough season.”
Stuttgart will have little time to lament their missed opportunities in Hamburg. They face a monumental task on Tuesday night, as they welcome Atlético Madrid to the MHPArena. With the Bundesliga table looking increasingly grim, the Swabians will need to rediscover their composure quickly to keep their European momentum alive and steer their league campaign away from the danger zone.
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