Babbel backed despite defeat - 7M sport

Babbel backed despite defeat

Posted Monday, October 19, 2009 by PA

Stuttgart director of sport Horst Heldt labelled his side's situation as "catastrophic" after they lost 2-1 to Schalke - but insisted the position of coach Markus Babbel was not up for discussion.

Babbel saw his side lose for the fifth time already this season yesterday and slip to 13th in the table ahead of Sunday's games.

"The situation is critical, it's catastrophic, but we are not discussing the coach internally," Heldt told the Bild newspaper.

And Babbel, who spends the first half of each week studying for his coaching badge in Cologne, has vowed to fight on, as long as he feels his team is playing for him.

"You could see that the team is intact," he said. "However, it is obvious that criticism arises when the points don't come.

"If the team stops pulling in the right direction, then there could come the point (when I resign), but that is absolutely not an issue right now.

"I am still optimistic. Apart from two individual errors, I cannot criticise my team."

However, Babbel knows that the results must start to arrive rather than the promising performances, starting with Tuesday's Champions League clash with Sevilla.

Stuttgart have yet to win in Europe with two draws leaving them four points adrift of the group leaders from Spain, who have defeated both Urziceni and Rangers already this campaign.

"They are one of the best teams in Europe," admitted Stuttgart midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger.

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