Efficiency that inspires

Is that where the idea for this special photo motif came from? Deniz Undav, reverently looking at the DFB Cup. IMAGO/HMB-Media

It's still unclear whether Deniz Undav actually followed through on his announcement yesterday. In the euphoria following the 4-2 (3-0) victory in the DFB Cup final against Arminia Bielefeld , the VfB Stuttgart striker, who was back in top form just in time for the crowning finale of the season, jokingly announced that he would place his young daughter in the trophy. "For a few pictures," the 28-year-old grinned, revealing his photographic plans for the 52-centimeter, 6.25-kilogram piece of precious metal.

It can be assumed that, should Undav have implemented his plans, the trophy will have survived unscathed, as it has already survived quite a few things. For example, triumphant advertising images featuring sugary and caffeinated fizzy drinks, or a 2002 fall from the hands of Schalke boss Rudi Assauer, who died in 2019. Admittedly, this caused some damage to the trophy, but no irreparable harm.

Irreparable, however, and this brings us to the course of a cup evening with an outstanding atmosphere, one that both fan bases and the DFB itself provided a worthy setting for, were the bitter mistakes made by Arminia after an otherwise good opening phase, which gave VfB a 3-0 lead after 28 minutes (for which the resurgent Undav was not entirely blameless). In essence, the match was decided after that, even if the Swabians made things a little more exciting towards the end against a self-sacrificing Bielefeld side, who, however, had to wrestle with the class difference for a long time in between.

"We were lucky again," Undav summed up the obvious, giving his teammate Alexander Nübel special praise. And indeed: Without the goalkeeper's late saves, this final could have almost become a reflection of a season for the 2024 runners-up, a season whose conclusion is divided into two versions: It was a good one, because a largely inexperienced international team only narrowly missed out on progressing to the Champions League, the performances were largely satisfactory despite finishing ninth in the Bundesliga, and now, with the cup triumph, it's even become a very good one. That's the club's internal interpretation.

The 4-2 win at the Olympic Stadium more or less saved the team's hopes, as power outages in the Champions League against significantly weaker opponents like Red Star Belgrade cost them the knockout stage, and coach Sebastian Hoeneß 's team too often reveled in simply passing the ball in the league, without developing a killer instinct or the unconditional desire to defend. The good news for all those who support the red badge is: Undav and his team demonstrated precisely this ability to decide a match with humor and uncompromising precision when the opportunity arose in Berlin.

This is precisely what Hoeneß addressed in his analysis before being escorted out of the press conference by his protégés, armed with sparkling wine and a trophy (without Undav's offspring, editor's note), who were cheering: "We should be happy that we're not behind. After that, we showed things we haven't always shown this season: namely, to be really efficient." Nick Woltemade , Undav, and Enzo Millot each capitalized on opportunities created by Bielefeld blunders and, twice, brilliantly by the injured Angelo Stiller .

And perhaps, with a view to the future, this is an even more important message besides the cup victory: After a 2023/24 season in which Hoeneß's team worked themselves into a frenzy by finishing second in the Bundesliga, they brought a 2024/25 season, fraught with fluctuations and new challenges such as the multiple workloads, to a successful conclusion, qualifying for European competition for the second time in a row. This will open up opportunities for the financially struggling VfB, as sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth later hinted: "We can inspire one or two people who were previously uninspired." Finally, efficiency that inspires, one could say, in a way, based on an advertising slogan from a competitor of VfB shareholders Mercedes-Benz and Porsche.

Recruiting new talent will undoubtedly be necessary in light of Millot's impending departure and the interest of more affluent rivals in key players like Stiller and Woltemade, which Saturday evening certainly didn't diminish. However, this has been pushed back on the agenda for the time being. First, there's a celebration to be had in the Baden-Württemberg state capital. First, in the main meeting room of the town hall, later, scheduled for 3:30 p.m., in a motorcade toward Schlossplatz. Naturally, with a (presumably undamaged) DFB Cup on board.