Mittelstädt after MOTM-performance: "The result was extremely important to me!"

Maxi Mittelstädt was named Man of the Match after Stuttgart's 1-0 victory over Werder Bremen, but the defender insisted that the individual award meant little to him compared to the result.

"Honestly, I don't care about being Man of the Match. The result was extremely important to me, especially with the international break coming up," Mittelstädt said after the game.

"Werder also played well, and we had to suffer a little towards the end. We're very happy that we managed to keep all three points here today."

Mittelstädt also reflected on his goal, admitting that he was fortunate to see the ball fall into his path. "I was a bit lucky that the ball came through to me. It was also partly instinct," he explained. "I've been training to get into those positions around the edge of the box and intercept balls like that. It's great that it worked out today."

The Stuttgart defender also had praise for Niclas Füllkrug, highlighting the striker's physical qualities and ability to hold up the ball.

"Fülle is incredibly strong. He holds the ball up and gets the better of opponents – he's really difficult to defend against," Mittelstädt said. "I'm glad we managed to deal with him today. He can start scoring again over the coming weeks."

Mittelstädt acknowledged that Stuttgart had expected a demanding afternoon against a strong Werder side. "We knew it might not be the prettiest game today. We knew we would have to fight hard because Bremen are a good team. We put a lot of energy into it."