Stuttgart board member warns Bundesliga rivals may overtake them

Ermedin Demirovic's fifth‑minute strike gave Borussia Mönchengladbach the lead as VfB Stuttgart fell to a 3‑2 home defeat on Friday, leaving the Swabians with six points from seven Bundesliga games.

VfB Stuttgart Board Member for Sport Fabian Wohlgemuth, a 47‑year‑old, warned that the club’s domestic form warranted serious scrutiny. “There are clubs that can overtake us,” he told reporters in the mixed zone after the loss.

Stuttgart have now lost five of their opening seven league fixtures, collecting just six points, while their European outings have been comparatively brighter. The Swabians have gathered seven points from three Champions League matches, including a 1‑1 draw against Atlético Madrid.

Champions League optimism

After the Tuesday draw with Atlético, Wohlgemuth hailed the performance as the best of the season, saying the mid‑week games were “something special”. He praised the fans’ choreography and the atmosphere, adding that it drove the players to a top performance.

Friday’s setback

Just three days later, the optimism evaporated as Gladbach seized an early lead through Demirovic, only for Joe Scally to equalise before halftime. Shuto Machino and 17‑year‑old Wael Mohya then turned the match, and Demirovic’s second goal in the 83rd minute proved insufficient for Stuttgart.

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Wohlgemuth lamented the contrast, saying, “We saw two different sides of ourselves today… we didn’t do enough to resist the negative developments during the match.” He added that the team could have been further ahead in the first half.

Supporter frustration and accountability

The board member acknowledged the fans’ disappointment, noting that they whistled after the result. “The right questions need to be asked of all of those involved,” he remarked, expressing understanding for supporter frustration.

He also reflected on the league’s competitiveness, stating that more teams are now ahead of Stuttgart than at this point last year, and that the feeling of taking points from them is stronger after tonight’s game than before.

Upcoming challenges

Stuttgart’s next Bundesliga assignment is an away match at Bayer Leverkusen next Saturday. Before that, they meet Wohlgemuth’s former club, Paderborn, in the DFB‑Pokal on Wednesday, a fixture he warned cannot be taken for granted.

With five defeats in seven outings, the Swabians remain vulnerable to slipping further down the table as the weekend’s remaining fixtures unfold, and clubs could overtake them before the weekend is out.