Stuttgart's response shows Hoeneß still has players' trust – but consistency is the real test

The Freiburg collapse last weekend had the feel of a turning point. Not in the dramatic sense of a crisis, but in the subtler, more worrying way a team begins to lose its identity. 

Stuttgart looked short on ideas, short on conviction, and far too willing to protect what little they had rather than impose themselves. The language from Sebastian Hoeneß and captain Atakan Karazor afterwards was telling: too passive, too hesitant, not enough with the ball.

And under the lights on Friday evening against St. Pauli, they responded convincingly.

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Against a St. Pauli side unusually burdened with expectation as a result of a spectacular start to the season, Stuttgart rediscovered something of the verve that defined their rise under Hoeneß, with a comfortable 2-0 victory to make you wonder what the nerves were for in the first place. 

Fittingly, it was Ermedin Demirovic, wearing the armband for the first time, who led from the front.

He netted for the second time this season just before half-time, carrying shades of a striker determined to take responsibility and stake his claim to become Hoeneß’s main man following the departure of Nick Woltemade.