Our next opponents: Matarazzo turns VfB upside down

Position

VfB are one of only two second division clubs through to the Round of 16 in the DFB Cup. And yet: It’s not really a surprise. In 2017/18, Stuttgart just missed out on qualifying for Europe at the end of the season and the Swabians had previously regularly competed on that stage. Clearly: In spite of being relegated to the second division again last season, VfB are still a big name in German football and a heavyweight in the second tier.

Stuttgart are regularly a source of rich discussion – most recently with the dismissal of head coach Tim Walter in the winter break. No less interesting is the selection of his successor as the choice was not for an established coach but for somebody who had spent most of his time in management in the second division: Pellegrino Matarazzo was lured away from the coaching staff at 1899 Hoffenheim and now he is tasked with taking VfB straight back up. As yet, the 42-year-old is still unbeaten: His first match in charge ended with an impressive 3-0 victory over rivals Heidenheim and last weekend they came from behind away to FC St Pauli to secure a 1-1 draw. Wednesday sees the first cup game for Matarazzo as a head coach. Stuttgart reached the Round of 16 with a 1-0 win at Rostock and a narrow 2-1 victory after extra time at Hamburg SV.

Personnel

The coach is probably the most interesting new signing at VfB: Matarazzo is 1.98 metres tall, is an American with an Italian passport, was a player in Germany and also assistant to Julian Nagelsmann at Hoffenheim. Those are not the only reasons why the new coach should have an exciting time – he wants to do a lot differently from his predecessor Walter. While the latter placed great value on possession football, Matarazzo prefers the tactic of quick transition. For the first time this season, Stuttgart played at St Pauli with a back three rather than the back four favoured by Walter. Matarazzo wants to gradually establish the system used by Nagelsmann at Hoffenheim at VfB. In general, he is not afraid of making rapid changes. In his first game in charge as the Stuttgart coach, he made seven changes to the last line-up under Walter.

Another option for the coach came at the end of the transfer window: VfB signed the 18-year-old defender Clinton Mola from Chelsea. The second new signing in the winter break: The 19-year-old Darko Churlinov from FC Köln. At the same time, Stuttgart did lose two key players in the winter: Midfielder Santiago Ascacibar joined Hertha Berlin and left back Emiliano Insua signed for MLS club LA Galaxy.

Problems

It remains to be seen whether Matarazzo can field a back three against Bayer 04. That is due to the absence of central defenders. Captain and senior defender Marc-Oliver Kempf suffered a broken jaw in Saturday’s away game at FC St Pauli and he is ruled out for several weeks. A particular blow as Stuttgart are already missing former Germany international Holger Badstuber (muscular injury) plus the Pole Marcin Kaminski (recovering from a cruciate injury). Both players are on the way back but are not available for the cup tie. Matarazzo will be forced to improvise in defence – and perhaps use more imagination: Berna Sosa, following the departure of Insua the only established left back in the squad, suffered a bruised hand in the game against Saint Pauli and is doubtful for the game at Leverkusen.

Potential

Stuttgart are still set up in all areas as a top-flight side: The club structures are highly professional as is the board with Sven Mislintat and Thomas Hitzlsperger. The squad includes former internationals like Mario Gomez and the long-standing Leverkusen player Gonzalo Castro in addition to top talents like Silas Wamangituka and Orel Mangala. On top of that, there is the traditionally fruitful youth development at VfB that regularly produces world-class players like Timo Werner, Joshua Kimmich and Sami Khedira. The only thing that appears to be missing in the club is a little calm needed for Stuttgart to once again become a club that can play a more than respectable role in the Bundesliga.

Prediction

Topping the second division appears to be a three-way battle between Armenia Bielefeld, Hamburg SV and VfB. The Swabians definitely have the quality to go straight back up, otherwise third place would involve another end of season play-off. Here the speed of Matarazzo's changes could play a role. Whichever way: There's a good chance that Stuttgart and Leverkusen will again meet in the Bundesliga next season.