For many VfB professionals there is currently one highlight after another. This seems to be a challenge for the national players in particular. Now things continue at Juventus Turin. And the defense is worrying.
Pictures of the great club legends hang in the catacombs of the beautiful Juventus stadium. Anyone who walks through is immediately reminded of the glory days of the Italian football record champions. The Bianconeri don’t currently have top stars like Gianluigi Buffon, Pavel Nedved or Alessandro Del Piero in their ranks, but the appeal of the “Old Lady” is still enormous.
The next highlight awaits VfB Stuttgart in the league phase of the Champions League on Tuesday (9 p.m./DAZN). The Swabians are in demand and are being chased as runners-up. That’s a challenge.
Without a win in four competitive games
“It’s a mega task for us,” said goalkeeper Alexander Nübel, referring to the game in Turin. Nevertheless, we are happy. “There are worse things,” said the 28-year-old – and he’s certainly right. Floodlights, premier class anthem, visiting a world club.
On the one hand, it is another holiday for the keeper and his colleagues from VfB. On the other hand, Stuttgart recently lacked the results to really celebrate. In the Champions League they are still without a win after their first two group games – and are therefore now challenged against Juve.
The Swabians were not rewarded for a good performance against Real Madrid (1:3) at the start of the competition and were only able to convince in the second 45 minutes against Sparta Prague (1:1). In total, VfB has now not won four competitive games in a row.
The 4-0 defeat in the league at FC Bayern Munich last Saturday was a huge blow. She relentlessly uncovered one or two problems that are currently troubling VfB.
Load control: Hoeneß rotates
One of them is the burden. “That’s part of it,” said Nübel about the many missions that the national players have in particular these weeks. You would also like to be part of the selection teams. After all, it was an “honor,” said the goalkeeper, who recently made his debut in a DFB uniform in the 2-1 win against Bosnia-Herzegovina in the Nations League.
The truth is that the majority of Stuttgart players are not yet used to such frequency. In addition to the European Cup games, many now also have international matches. And not everyone seems to be able to keep the tension week after week.
The professionals have to process things and sort themselves into the respective circle again and again, explained sports director Fabian Wohlgemuth after the abrasion in Munich. Coach Sebastian Hoeneß had announced that he would rotate during the English weeks. He already did it against Bayern and will probably do it again in Turin.
Only one game without conceding a goal
Offensively, VfB sometimes lacks penetration and sometimes efficiency. Perhaps, precisely because the players are involved in so many competitions, they sometimes lack the last bit of strength and therefore that crucial bit of concentration. In addition, the opponents have adapted better to Stuttgart’s style – after all, they are the runners-up.
What makes things even more difficult is the porous defense. VfB have already conceded 15 goals in the league alone this season, and the 5-0 win in the DFB Cup against second division team Preußen Münster was their only competitive game to date with zero. Waldemar Anton and Hiroki Ito, who were sold in the summer, cannot yet be fully replaced by Jeff Chabot and Anthony Rouault in the center of defense. If we could rely on the defense, things might be a lot easier.
The next highlight awaits – and the next stress test for the Swabians – against Juve, who have not lost in their ten competitive games so far this season under the new coach and former world-class player Thiago Motta.
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
