In the first of a set of fan written previews of Bundesliga teams we talk to a German transplant currently residing in the capital of Kansas Thorsten Bogner, to give us a view on VfB Stuttgart as they return to the Bundesliga after one season away.
Good things have been happening in Stuttgart over the past couple of month. Starting with the
‘Ausgliederung’ separation of the VFB Stuttgart football division becoming their own entity. This
enables the club to have much more freedom in how money is spent and the club is run. With Mercedes Benz
on board it feels like the final step to move back up to the Bundesliga elite has at last begun.
Hiring Michael Reschke from Bayern München as their new Sporting Director was another brilliant
move. Of Course the sacking of Jan Schindelmeiser came as a huge surprise for everybody,
since he had done an excellent job over the past 13 month. The front office is stacked with
excellent capable individuals this season and that is what the club was missing the past 5-6 years.
The signing of Holger Badstuber is seen as a risky one by many of my fellow Stuttgart fans, although I
believe if he can stay healthy he can be a huge asset to the team, which over the past few years have had
their problems in the defense, especially in the center back position. I think the duo Baumgartl and
Badstuber can be a great one for the future. Other signings like Ron-Rober Zieler will even bring more
experience to the still young Stuttgart team. Additions like Chadrac Akolo from FC Sion or Orel Mangala
from FC Anderlecht are still young and have to prove themselves first . The weak spot at the moment,
at least in my opinion, is the Right Back position. Hopefully Stuttgart will find a decent player for this
position while the transfer window still remains open.
All in all there is enough talent on the team to stay out of the relegation battle. Inexperience might
become an issue during the season since the team on average is only 23.5 years old. The midfield
features a blend of young and more experienced players, and with Simon Terrode, Daniel Ginczek and
Anastasion Donis, who came from Juventus Turin, they should have enough firepower upfront to score
enough goals this season to stay in the league.
With a record breaking 31,000 season tickets sold and one of the best fan bases in the Bundesliga
cheering them on at home games I believe this ‘Traditions Verein’ has a pretty good chance to finish
mid-table this year. If they can acquire one more good player for the troubled RB spot, minimize the
mistakes in the defense, and continue to improve last season’s strong offensive production this should
be possible.
Stuttgart knows how to compete in the Bundesliga but it is crucial this year that they learn from
their mistakes of the past five years, and even if it doesn’t go to plan, not to panic, and most important
to hold on to their young and very talented coach Hannes Wolf.
