Coach Bruno Labbadia from VfB Stuttgart has strengthened his goalkeeper Florian Müller, who has recently been criticized several times, even after the round of 16 in the DFB Cup at SC Paderborn. “Not even a second, I mean that, as I say it, the goal has something to do with the goalkeeper,” said the coach after the 2-1 win on Tuesday evening, in which Stuttgart’s central defender Konstantinos Mavropanos scored an own goal enabled the interim leadership of the second division soccer team from a great distance. Only in the final phase did the Swabians turn the game in their favor with new signing Gil Dias (86.) and Serhou Guirassy (90.5).
Müller was unable to fend off the Greek’s unsuccessful return from 48 meters because he had positioned himself differently in his penalty area. “The pass wasn’t good, that’s it. Goalkeepers should play along and stand up, if they concede a goal from 50 or 40 meters, then I take it on myself. Dinos played back without looking,” said Labbadia.
In VfB’s 2-1 defeat at RB Leipzig last Friday, Müller didn’t cut a good figure with the first goal conceded. Unlike his predecessors, Pellegrino Matarazzo and interim coach Michael Wimmer, Labbadia also relied on the 25-year-old goalkeeper in the cup.
Squad VfB Stuttgart
