Undav yet to score or assist: Matthäus doubts captaincy – Hoeneß shuts down debate
Germany international Deniz Undav is still waiting for a Bundesliga goal or assist. Matthäus sees the captaincy as a burden; Stuttgart coach Hoeneß rejects any debate about one player.
Archive image · Photo: Bryan Berlin / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Deniz Undav is going through a dip in form at VfB Stuttgart. After seven Bundesliga matchdays, the Germany international has yet to register a goal or assist, according to Sport1; in the Champions League he has one goal and two assists, and he scored twice in the DFB Cup first round in Rostock. In Friday's 3-2 defeat to Gladbach he only came on after 55 minutes.
Lothar Matthäus said of Undav on Sky 90: “He has no lightness any more. He has lost his smile. Maybe he is thinking too much.” According to Sport1, the TV pundit suspects that being named captain before the season has made the striker too preoccupied with himself – and that this may not have done him any favours.
Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeneß dismissed the debate ahead of Wednesday's cup tie at SC Paderborn (18:00 CET): “It would be completely wrong to talk about one person now.” The collective has to move in the right direction: “Everyone is called upon, and of course Deniz is in the boat too.” After the Gladbach defeat, the team must “step it up massively”, he said.