Our next opponents: VfB Stuttgart renewed with Weinzierl and Altintop

Position

The first chapter of the coaching role for Marcus Weinzierl at VfB Stuttgart had a satisfactory ending. During the international break in the middle of October, the man from Lower Bavaria took over the helm at VfB from Tayfun Korkut –  it took three defeats before the long awaited first win: The Swabians secured a 2-0 victory away to newly promoted FC Nürnberg, being the first win on the road of the season and preventing the interim assessment of the new head coach becoming a disaster: No points, no goals for and eleven against were the sobering stats from the first three matches under Weinzierl. The deserved win at Nürnberg provides hope for improvement – also because the 43-year-old had time during the most recent international break to work intensively with his players. And, of course, to make the necessary adjustments to turn the corner. In terms of the table, it can  only get better for the Swabians. Rather unusually, Stuttgart slipped down to bottom spot in spite of picking up three points at FC Nürnberg – Fortuna Düsseldorf, who were level on points and goals, won their game by a bigger margin. The team from the Baden-Württemberg state capital have at least closed the gap to the non-relegation positions. So there is all to play for the VfB in the Bundesliga – in contrast to the DFB Cup where Stuttgart were knocked out in the first round by third division Rostock.

personnel

A look at the Stuttgart squad would hardly lead anyone to think that these players are currently 18th in the table. In addition to the current World Cup winner Benjamin Pavard, the VfB squad also has seven former Germany internationals. There is plenty of experience at the city on the Neckar but the arrival of Weinzierl has also brought a slightly more carefree approach to their game. At FC Nürnberg, the head coach  gave the 17-year-old Antonis Aidonis his first outing in the Bundesliga. The youngster helped to secure victory in the closing stages of the game and is now the second-youngest Bundesliga pro in the history of VfB Stuttgart – beaten by about a month by the Germany striker Timo Werner. Another new face has also brought confidence to VfB: Ahead of the Nürnberg game, Weinzierl brought in a former player of his in Halil Altintop as "assistant coach for individual measures." As such,  his duties include improving play at set pieces – and VfB then scored two goals from corners in the game at Nürnberg. The players are also full of praise for the 351-time Bundesliga player, who had a revival to his career at FC Augsburg under Weinzierl and only ended his career in the summer at FC Kaiserslautern. "He knows what we need as players and he can help everybody," declared striker Erik Thommy in a recent interview with the kicker sports Journal.

problems

Regardless of whether the two goals from set pieces at Nürnberg can be directly attributed to the new individual coach or not – VfB desperately needed them. Also because  Stuttgart have found it incredibly difficult to create chances from open play. VfB have failed to score in eight of 12 games this season – although the team includes one of the most renowned strikers in the Bundesliga in Mario Gomez. There are many reasons for the downturn: On the one hand, Stuttgart have often failed to be creative in their attacks down the middle both under Korkut and Weinzierl with the opposition often able to deal with moves down the flanks.  And the conversion rate also leaves a lot to be desired, above all with Gomez' strike partner the Argentinian new signing Nicolas Gonzalez missing a number of clear-cut chances already. After it was confirmed on Wednesday that Daniel Didavi is sidelined due to an Achilles problem, Weinzierl is hoping for the return of the lightning fast Anastasios Donis against the Werkself – to bring that certain something back to the Stuttgart attack. In addition to Didavi, Holger Badstuber is also unavailable due to a calf problem and decisions on playing Santiago Ascacibar and Timo Baumgartl will be made as late as possible as the Stuttgart coach announced at the press conference on Wednesday.

potential

Even though the current position in the table presents a different picture: The club management at Stuttgart are very ambitious. The president Wolfgang Dietrich recently declared in the BILD series "My club in five years" the intention to be established in the top third of the Bundesliga by 2023. To achieve that target, the club is currently trying  to attract new investors and, according to Dietrich, they are in discussion with a number of companies. There is no doubt the structures at VfB (both in terms of youth development in recent years that brought through Timo Werner and Joshua Kimmich) are absolutely up to expectations for a top club. If a solvent investor can be brought in then the five-time champions of Germany  could actually start to think about rediscovering bygone days of glory.

prediction

Before VfB can set aim for the upper reaches of the top flight, they first have to survive the current campaign. The team definitely has the potential, as in the last second half of the season, to go on a run and end up mid-table. However, Weinzierl will quickly have to get up to speed so that the quality of the players on the pitch is reflected in the results. Otherwise, the Swabians could be facing relegation.