Jeff Chabot barked out the instructions in defence. “Push up”, he calls to his colleagues. “Pressure, pressure”, he demands after losing possession. At the first training session of the week on Tuesday morning, which was watched by several spectators in the sunshine, the intensity was there straight away. Head coach Sebastian Hoeneß had his team working on their play with and without the ball in various drills. There was a clear sense that VfB want to show an immediate reaction after the 1-0 defeat at home to Heidenheim, when they travel to Hamburg to face St. Pauli on Saturday (kick-off 15:30 CEST).
Match analysed together
“We know we can do better,” explained Chabot. “We must and want to demonstrate that as a team. It would just do us good to get three points again.”
VfB can always count on the support of their fans, whether it’s driving them forward in every home match or even attending open training in good numbers. For Chabot and Co, signing autographs and posing for selfies after the session is a matter of course. “The fans give us fantastic support, which is a good sign – that’s why it’s nice when we can repay them in this way,” said the 27-year-old.