Bottom of the Bundesliga in April, VfB Stuttgart needed a relegation play-off to stay in the competition this season. Now they are set for the Champions League. Adam Bate gets the thoughts of the club's sporting director to find out how they have done it…
Wednesday 28 February 2024 10:36, UK
When Sebastian Hoeness was appointed VfB Stuttgart head coach in April, the club were seemingly in disarray. Bottom of the Bundesliga table and already onto their third coach of the campaign, the ambition then was merely to survive.
Hoeness's side proceeded to lose only twice in those final 12 games, including wins home and away against Hamburg in their relegation play-off. What has happened since has been remarkable. The momentum might just carry them into the Champions League.
"Getting relegated would have been a huge setback," VfB sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth tells Sky Sports. "It was incredibly important to stay up. It certainly would not have been possible to keep the squad together." That squad is now third in the table.
"Nobody could have anticipated this. Towards the end of last season we were in very turbulent waters." Wohlgemuth credits chief executive Alexander Wehrle for exuding calm in a difficult moment. But the arrival of the new coach was the catalyst for change.
"We were very lucky to be able to bring in Sebastian," he adds.
Hoeness is the nephew of the former Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness and has recently been linked with the summer vacancy there - with good reason. His work at Hoffenheim showed promise. But this has been something else, acknowledges Wohlgemuth.
"It was a very important step - and the right step - en route to avoiding relegation. From day one Sebastian set the course needed for the team to pick up the required points. He and his coaching staff played a big role in us managing to turn the corner just in time.
"Even then, you could tell that he had a clear idea of how he wanted the team to play, and of the level of intensity, desire and sharpness expected from the players each day. That development continued seamlessly into the team's preparations for the new season."
There were no gimmicks. No team-building exercises. Just coaching. The players were trusted to adopt a passing game in the belief that they were capable of it - and they have responded. Only the top two in the Bundesliga have had more possession this season.
The change in style has helped players to become more than they had been before. Deniz Undav, on loan from Brighton, is encouraged to shoot from all angles. Chris Fuhrich, the former Paderborn winger, is dribbling for fun and now in the Germany squad.
While it might not have been obvious until Hoeness came in, the recruitment had been impressive for some time. Orel Mangala was sold to Nottingham Forest but an opportunity came for Naouirou Ahamada. He was sold to Crystal Palace. Enzo Millot stepped up.
Millot, a bargain buy from Monaco and still only 21 years old, has become one of the Bundesliga's best midfielders. Maxi Mittelstadt, having not even been a regular starter at Hertha Berlin, has emerged as one of the best left-backs in the league.
This constant improvement of individuals, aided by the work of development coach Nate Weiss, has allowed the club to succeed despite selling key players in the summer.
"Prior to the start of the season the financial climate was tough in the wake of the pandemic and our stadium renovation, so we had to generate a considerable profit from our transfer activities."
Konstantinos Mavropanos was sold to West Ham. Wataru Endo, the experienced Japan midfielder, moved to Liverpool late in the transfer window. It could have derailed their season before it had really begun but Hoeness' side somehow only became stronger.
"We attached great importance to signing players who, in addition to their ability, are able to cope with pressure and, ideally, have a certain amount of experience." In came Alex Nubel and Angelo Stiller. Crucially, they agreed a deal to keep Serhou Guirassy at the club too.
Guirassy, 27, has been a revelation, scoring 15 goals in the first nine games of the season. He had been important in keeping his team in the competition but this was a scoring streak unmatched across Europe, propelling them in those early weeks of the campaign.
"It is not just his goals that make him valuable for us," explains Wohlgemuth. "He leads by example in training and matches, he shoulders responsibility and is hungry for success. Serhou is also aware that he is only as good as the team that creates the chances.
"He shows that and it is something that is very well received by his team-mates. We have known for a long time what he brings to the table, which is why we extended his contract before the relegation play-off games against HSV."
The story of VfB Stuttgart is a reminder that the margins in football are small. Had one or two results gone against them in the spring, nobody would be talking about this club as an example to others. Instead, they show what is possible when people pull together.
"Intensity, desire, togetherness, humility. These are all attributes the team and the coaching staff, as well as the club as a whole, have demonstrated over the past few months. Every individual sees themself as part of the whole and puts their own interests aside."
While the supporters sing of trips to Europe, the star striker is linked with a move to Manchester United, and the coach is touted as an option for Bayern Munich, Wohlgemuth prefers not to get carried away. He has talked of his relief at a worry-free season.
"We want to continue on this path because we cannot forget where we have come from. VfB almost got relegated in each of the last two seasons, we cannot ever forget that," he explains. "That has left its mark and not just in financial terms."
But the stadium renovation will soon be completed and there is excitement at securing Porsche as an investor. "We want to continue to grow in a sustainable manner and develop step by step." Even so, this leap being made in Stuttgart is beyond all expectations.
Watch Wolfsburg vs VfB Stuttgart live on Sky Sports Football this Saturday; kick-off 5.30pm
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