Our next opponents: Korkut completes rescue mission

Position

There are managerial changes that prove to be ineffective but also those that are a hit from the start. When the management at Stuttgart replaced the popular promotion coach Hannes Wolf at the end of January, following six defeats out in seven games, with Tayfun Korkut that immediately met with a negative response – also within the club. However, bringing in the 44-year-old, who was interim coach at Bayer 04 at the end of last season, definitely falls within the latter category of managerial changes. The team were able to win the first five games under their Stuttgart-born boss and in the eleven matches to date there has only been one defeat with a 3-0 reverse at Dortmund at the beginning of the month. Last weekend brought the highlight of this successful run: A 2-0 home victory over Werder Bremen ensured VfB would stay up in the top flight after appearing in severe danger of relegation before Korkut arrived. With Stuttgart currently lying tenth in the table it is even possible they could qualify for the Europa League. They are currently four points behind the place that could provide entry to the European stage.

personnel

In addition to Korkut, the revival in the second half of the season for VfB is inextricably bound with one name: Mario Gomez. The Germany international, who returned to Stuttgart after eight and a half years away during the winter break, provided the threat in front of goal that was missing in the first half of the campaign. The 32-year-old has scored six goals so far at VfB: That is more than all of his team-mates at the club since the start of the season, and incredibly important for the team. Stuttgart have picked up points every time Gomez has scored. Albeit, the striker went four consecutive games without scoring. Erik Thommy, another new signing in the January window, has made his mark. Last season, the 23-year-old was one of the best players in the third division at Jahn Regensburg under Heiko Herrlich, but then he did not have enough time on the pitch under his hometown team FC Augsburg. Since his move to Stuttgart, the agile left-winger has provided an element in Korkut team that has been missing for a long time with two goals and four assists to his credit. In a broadly stable defence, the successful coach does need to fill one gap: Former Germany international Andreas Beck is sidelined for the rest of the season with a cruciate injury. In the game against Bremen he was replaced at right back by the central defender Timo Baumgartl. The home-grown player will probably start against Bayer 04.

problems

Even though the signing of Gomez and Thommy has significantly improved the attack – this area is still a weak point in the team from the Baden-Württemberg state capital. Only the two relegation candidates SC Freiburg (26) and Hamburg SV (24) have scored less goals than VfB (29) in the currently campaign. Under Korkut it has mainly been the defence that has secured victory for the Swabians. The loss of the Portuguese player Carlos Mané, signed on loan from sporting Lisbon and a star in the second division side, for the rest of the season due to a number of serious injuries that meant he has not made one appearance is scarcely compensated by the signing of Thommy. A clear indication of the lack of depth and quality in the squad: Since taking over as coach, Korkut has played skipper Christian Gentner up front on the right although his strengths are undoubtedly in a defensive midfield role.

potential

Having already secured top-flight status, Stuttgart's sporting director Michael Reschke, who was at Bayer 04 from 1979 to 2014, now has the opportunity to work on the squad early for next season. The signs are good: The club has coped well financially with relegation to the second division and still has the set-up for a club in the top half of the Bundesliga. Within the squad there is a balance between young homegrown players like Timo Baumgartl and Berkay Özcan, who scored his first Bundesliga goal against Werder Bremen – and experienced stalwarts like Beck, Gentner and Gomez, who have all played for other clubs but started in the VfB youth teams. That demonstrates the enormous potential at the club: The outstanding work in the youth section, that has produced international players including Werner, Kimmich, Khedira, Rüdiger and Bayer 04 keeper Bernd Leno, should ensure a place for VfB Stuttgart in Germany's top-flight in the future.

prediction

The current campaign will end without any worries for Stuttgart. The objective for the season of staying up was sealed surprisingly early – as a newly promoted side that was all that could be expected from a much changed squad. It is possible that qualification for European competition could still be achieved. Seventh place, which would  be enough and is only four points  away, will probably be too much for VfB. After Saturday's tough away game at the BayArena, Korkut's team face another two challenging fixtures against Hoffenheim and Bayern Munich in the final games of the season.