VfB Stuttgart moves on the abyss. again. On Sunday, the traditional club meets Bayer Leverkusen in a home game, the club that VfB almost always go away empty-handed. It’s like so often: The Swabians go through a roller coaster ride that usually ends far below. This season, relegation is close again. At the club with quite a successful history, index fingers are eagerly pointed at those responsible, the team, the coaches, the individual players. To all.
But often the finger hits the trainers because they are the easiest victims. The club has worn out an incredible 19 coaches in the past ten years. Many football and even VfB fans have probably forgotten that people like Thomas Schneider or Jos Luhukay once coached the team. In this season, the once celebrated Pellegrino Matarazzo was suddenly too good, too quiet to lead a Bundesliga team. His ambitious (and successful) assistant trainer Michael Wimmer was not trusted for the job either. They were hoping for leadership from Bruno Labbadia, who seemed too antiquated when it came to tactical matters. Now Sebastian Hoeneß is sitting on the bench.
After a short intermediate high, he and his team are now back on the roller coaster down. Since VfB no longer knows who has coached the professional team in the recent past, and because they have actually come to the realization that the fundamental evil of the club is not the trainers on the sidelines, there are different sides these days more structural issues addressed.
Criticism comes from former manager Horst Heldt
“I think that VfB Stuttgart has lied a lot in the last few years,” said former VfB manager Horst Heldt at the pay station sky. Those responsible “always explained how great they are and what a great young team they have. A lot of people believed that. That’s not in the DNA of VfB Stuttgart,” said Heldt and added. “The DNA of VfB Stuttgart is to train your own talents, let them play in your own team and then maybe hand them over to another club at some point,” he said.
Heldt, manager of the 2007 championship team, is certainly right. But he should also have a share in the constant sporting decline of the club. When Stuttgart was still in the Champions League and a lot of money flowed into the club’s coffers, Heldt spent it lavishly on many flops. The association for movement games moves more and more slowly.
This is probably also due to the fact that the decision-making bodies at VfB are pretty frayed. Everyone wants to join in the conversation. The result is often stale compromises, but the worst thing for the club is that the many people in responsible positions cannot agree on an idea of what VfB wants to be.
However, hope dies last. A few footballers give hope. Like Serhou Guirassy or Wataru Endo. Guirassy is a rip-off goalscorer who is already traded at a number of top clubs. Captain Endo can basically do everything, lead a team, win duels and sometimes even score goals. Many observers wonder why a footballer like him still plays for VfB at all. He deserved better.
