Stevens disappointed with stalemate

Stuttgart coach Huub Stevens felt his side deserved more from their goalless draw with Hannover on Friday.

The result means Stuttgart remain in danger, five points clear of Hamburg in the relegation play-off place ahead of the latter facing Augsburg on Sunday.

Although frustrated by the stalemate at the HDI-Arena, Stevens was pleased with his side’s efforts against a Hannover side who came into the game on the back of successive wins.

“When you play the way we played, then really you deserve more than just the one point,” he told the club’s official website.

“Unfortunately we were unable to reward ourselves for (our) effort.

“We now have two further finals ahead of us and we need to go into those matches with the same attitude we displayed against Hannover.”

Stuttgart sporting director Fredi Bobic was surprised by the approach of Hannover.

“Hannover merely wanted the point, which could be clearly seen by how deeply they stood at the back,” he explained.

“We just weren’t determined enough and thus failed to take the three points.

“For an away match, we actually played quite well. Our direct opponents play on Saturday and Sunday. We need to keep the pressure on and get a home win against VfL Wolfsburg next week.”