Hoeneß builds for St.Pauli challenge, scornful of online abuse aimed at team
VfB Stuttgart head coach Sebastian Hoeneß took his seat in the mixed room as he and the journalists prepared for his press conference ahead of their visit to St.Pauli this weekend. Hoeneß issued a squad update and analysed their upcoming opponents.
"Leonidas Stergiou has injured his foot and will be out. Justin Diehl took a blow to the back of the head and is currently undergoing concussion protocol. Enzo Millot will also be out. Finn Jeltsch is back in full force.
"St.Pauli is a very well-organized team that doesn't make it easy for the opponent to get in front of their goal. We have to try to pose problems for them throughout all phases of the game," he added.
Hoeneß went on to say how he and his backroom team regularly look at match data, however it doesn't always explain results or outcomes. He also spoke out against hateful online criticism of his players after last Friday's 1-0 loss to Heidenheim.
"Of course, you look at the data. In a phase where things aren't going well, the negative data is highlighted. We're not winning enough games, we're giving away too many leads at the end. But there are also enough games where the data shows that things could have gone differently. Last year, it wasn't always clear why we won the games.
"Unfortunately, it's [online abuse] part of it and has its dark sides. It's an anonymous area that feels like it has no boundaries. I can't understand why these boundaries are regularly crossed – how some people even attack families. I hope my players don't have to read that too often," Hoeneß noted.
