VfB Stuttgart : 2013-14 Rückrunde General Discussion

A shame that this section has been really quiet lately. Perhaps a general discussion to track the events of the second round of the season will do for now... (until someone returns with match day analyses?)

Anyways here are some recent developments:

The signing of Carlos Gruezo, the Ecuadorean player on trial during the winter, is steadily progressing. The latest on Transfermarkt is that he should be expected to arrive in Stuttgart this week to finalize the deal.

Schneider is continuing with the 4-4-2 formation with 2 strikers up top, as seen in the match against Mainz.
Abdellaoue returns from injury. He impressed management during winter training, and played with Ibisevic as starting forwards.

Marco Rojas returns from injury and has resumed training with the team.

 

2-1 defeat to Leverkusen.

Moritz Leitner scored a nice goal, and was one of few bright spots on the day. He's been quite consistent since being moved back to his natural position, a good stable presence in the CM.

I think Rani Khedira had a poor game. He struggled with controlling and touches on the ball, and wasn't really effective defensively.

Ruediger's error was costly and caused the game winner. The young, inexperienced defensive line has been an ongoing issue. Especially late in the game, losing another one in final minutes.

 

http://www.vfb.de/en/aktuell/meldun...t-im-dritten-protokoll/page/2852-1-1-.html?f2

"We need at least 20 points"
Bernd Wahler was a guest in the SWR television show "Sport im Dritten" on Sunday. The VfB president spoke about the current sporting situation and the club’s goals for the season.


VfB have played three competitive games thus far in 2014, with all three games ending in 1-2 defeats and the decisive goal on each occasion being scored in the closing minutes. VfB president Bernd Wahler spoke on SWR’s „Sport im Dritten“ about the three defeats and the club’s targets for the season.

Bernd Wahler on…

…the current sporting situation: "Everyone at the club is aware of how serious the situation is and we are working hard to change that. There is no sugar-coating things! We need to avoid making unnecessary errors, which we did in the past. I do believe we can pull ourselves out of this rut though."

…Trainer Thomas Schneider: "We are all completely behind Thomas Schneider. I am convinced that working with him is the right way to go. He knows VfB and is behind the strategy of working more with young players. We are not about to alter that strategy now – we’re sticking to our guns. I am sure that out courage and valour will be rewarded."

…the pending departure of Ibrahima Traoré: "He is a good lad and a player who can make a difference in decisive moments. For that reason, we decided he should stay at VfB until the end of the season."

…the sporting goals: "We have 15 games to go now from which we need to take at least 20 points. We really need to win the up-coming game against FC Augsburg at all costs. We need to prepare for the game now as well as possible to ensure we take all three points. We are well aware of the run that Augsburg are currently on (seven games without defeat). It we can take six points from the next three games, that would be good."

 

4-1 loss to Augsburg.

Bitter game overall today, and 5th defeat in a row. VfB started well in the first half with some nice sequences. But did not take advantage of those scoring chances. Abdellaoue with prime opportunities early on but messed them up. Instead got punished by Augsburg's much more efficient play.

Ibisevic's red card really ruined chances for a comeback early in the 2nd half. Frustrating and costly foul, taking away the focus. Also lead to Hahn's second goal to make it 3-0 and put the game out of reach.

Defense poor again, getting exploited too easily by opponents. Committing too many errors. Ruediger's form has been bad lately and showed today. Schwaab and his positioning in the central defence is really weak.
Team organization looked confused and the attack really waned late in the game trailing from behind so much.

 

With Ibrahima Traore leaving the team at end of this season, hopefully there's room in the books for a good replacement to the rotation. Players brought in last summer as wing attacker have been disappointing. Sararer has done nothing, while Rojas is finally recovering from injury and still have yet to see him play.

In the meantime, with Didavi steadily progressing in rehab hopefully he can provide a boost later when he returns. A wildcard option next season would be promoting Arianit Ferati to the big club if he continues to impress in his development with the U19s. He attended this winter training camp with the pros in South Africa, and is highly rated by management.
Additions to strengthen the defensive line also important.

 

Same reoccurring issues were evident in the match against Hoffenheim. Too many errors committed in the midfield, leaving the team vulnerable defensively on the counterattack. Hoffenheim had several more chances on those rushes that could have made the score even worse.

Defensive formations and awareness look sporadic. On Hoff's first goal, 3 defenders were in the box just looking the other way, leaving Schipplock unmarked for the easy tap in. On their 2nd goal, Niedermeier was way out of position and exploited easily by a thru ball pass, leaving the clear path to the net for Volland.

Their 3rd goal was also on a fast break, and took advantage of the poor readiness and formation of the backline.

 

Crucial win today, now extending the gap to 4 pts in the clear. Well fought victory, with certainly a boost from great home support and energy. Harnik & Traore have been really important in this stretch of positive games. Didavi also a spark since his return.

3 game remaining, time to grind this out.

 

Timo Werner will be another year forward in his development and have a larger role with the team. It'll depend on the manager, whether he features more regularly as striker or on the wing (Traore's position).

Maxim is a class player and should really be the starting XI each match. Though I do think Didavi's return has been a good re-addition creating more depth and another attacking option. They're both quality players.

Carlos Gruezo has been complementing well with Gentner in recent games. Been one of the better central midfield combinations all season, and could be a foundation to build on for next campaign.

I haven't heard much rumors for summer signings yet, but hopefully Bobic and his scouting staff are doing their homework.