Form: Capable of the spectacular
VfB have taken 10 points from their last five games, and overall they can be more than happy with how things have gone following promotion back to the Bundesliga. There have been some sensational results along the way, such as the brilliant 5-1 triumph away to Borussia Dortmund in December. That was also the final score against Schalke 04 last Saturday, which made it back-to-back wins for VfB following their 1-0 victory at Köln the week before.
| VfB Stuttgart 2020/21 | |
|---|---|
| Stats | 8 wins, 8 draws, 7 defeats, 44:36 goal difference, 32 points, 10th in the table |
| Form | W-L-D-W-W |
| Goalscorers | Kalajdzic (11), Wamangituka (11), Gonzalez (6), Castro (3), Didavi (3), Coulibaly (2), Endo (2), Kempf (2), Förster (1), Klement (1), Klimowicz (1), Mangala (1) |
Tactics: Youthful and purposeful
Head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo favours a 3-4-2-1 or 3-4-3 formation, which allows his side’s quick transition play to flourish. When they win possession, the Swabians use the available space at speed. VfB have also fielded the youngest team on average in the Bundesliga this term (23.9 years).
Stuttgart’s attack has been particularly in the spotlight throughout the campaign, with only Bayern Munich (67), Borussia Dortmund (48) and Eintracht (46) bettering their total of 44 goals scored. Notably, striker Sasa Kalajdzic and winger Silas Wamangituka have netted 11 each, together accounting for exactly half of all of Stuttgart’s goals.
One to watch: Borna Sosa
The left-back moved to Stuttgart from Dinamo Zagreb in the summer of 2017. Due to injury problems, Sosa has only made 12 league appearances during his first two seasons, but he has already featured in 18 matches during the current campaign. Seven of his eight direct assists have come since the turn of the year, with the Croatian setting up at least one goal in each of the last four games.
