The Bundesliga success story you might have missed – and their key lesson for next year

The Bundesliga title looks destined, at long last, for Bayer Leverkusen. There’s no doubt they will be worthy winners and the story of the season, while if a secondary character is required, it’s perhaps Bayern Munich’s fall-off, Thomas Tuchel’s impending exit and where the Bavarians go next. Even in the areas of the table where the battles are yet to be determined it’s many of the usual suspects: Dortmund and Leipzig for the top four, Köln and Mainz fighting against the drop. They are the go-to results to look for on any given gameweek but all of this overlooks one of the most remarkable clubs of the campaign: VfB Stuttgart.
By Karl Matchett

Close to a year ago, Die Schwaben ended their season with a 1-1 draw against Hoffenheim, ensuring they’d finish in the relegation playoff place, having to beat Hamburg to secure their top-flight place for another year. Another season previous, 21/22, they avoided the same fate only on goal difference after a stoppage-time Wataru Endo winner on the final day.

Fast forward to the current campaign and while one thing is the same, everything else is different: Hoffenheim were again their most recent opponents, this time heading into the international break, but a 3-0 victory away from home was both expected and in keeping with the form book – and kept Stuttgart flying high in third position.


VfB are closer to second-placed Bayern than they are to Dortmund in fourth. They are second in the Bundesliga form guide, behind only champions-elect Leverkusen. Their rapid rise from relegation regulars to Champions League candidates is improbable, impressive and up there with the best any of storyline Europe has to offer this season, with just eight matches now separating them from a return to the elite after 15 years away – a first return to any kind of continental competition in over a decade.

Since then they’ve been relegated twice and rarely looked like reestablishing themselves as a force such as they were in the early 2000s, when they finished in the top four, four times in seven years, and were once within extra time of doing a league and cup double.

The architect of this latest resurrection is Sebastian Hoeness, a 41-year-old head coach in only his second senior job – Bayern’s second team and two years with Hoffenheim are his other positions so far.


Hoeness has his team well-rounded and superbly organised. They can dominate games, but also have a terrific defensive record. With just 1.2 goals conceded per game and a total xG of 56.8, they are second in the Bundesliga in both categories at either end of the pitch.

They are also third for average possession (60%), second for big chances created (99) and third for possession won in the final third (5.7 per game).

The twin attack of Serhou Guirassy and Deniz Undav have 43 goals or assists between them. Only Harry Kane beats Guirassy this term for that metric, but it’s the Stuttgart man who actually has the better goals per 90 rate (1.32 vs 1.21), even as both wildly outperform their xG for the season. In the other half of the pitch, Maximilian Mittelstaedt is top three in the league for both successful tackles and interceptions on a per 90 basis.


Consistent contributions from midfielder Chris Führich, goalkeeper Alexander Nübel and the scheming attacking midfielder Enzo Millot have all been vital to the Stuttgart cause too, as they seek to wrap up an incredible Bundesliga campaign.

Yet they don’t have to look too far for inspiration in the importance of keeping this run going, either. Just prior to last weekend’s win over Hoffenheim, Stuttgart’s previous match was a 2-0 home win over Union Berlin.

Rewind the clock to a year ago and it was Union who were defying the odds, upsetting bigger names and finishing an improbable fourth place, qualifying for the Champions League in the process. It hasn’t lasted. While Union have finally inched themselves away from the relegation battle, they still sit only 13th and were in the drop zone for much of the year after a 12-match losing streak and a winless run which eventually spanned three and a half months.

They serve as a reminder as to what’s possible, how teams can reach above themselves and give their fans incredible memories, but also as to the difficulty of maintaining that across multiple seasons.

That is the lesson that Stuttgart have to take on board, to not just enjoy this as a one-off campaign of excitement but to ensure it’s the start of a new era of progress. They have already shown they have the ability in the team and a very talented young coach in the dugout; next comes the doubly hard task of matching expectations which have risen exponentially.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Viktor Gyokeres responds to Arsenal and Chelsea transfer interest
Gyokeres has scored 22 goals in in Liga Portugal for Sporting CP this season
The striker has been linked with a big money move to the Premier League
Gyokeres has discussed his future plans

By Jack Gallagher
12:15 PM GMT
Gyokeres has discussed his future
Gyokeres has discussed his future / Carlos Rodrigues/GettyImages
Arsenal and Chelsea target Viktor Gyokeres has opened the door to a return to England this summer.

The 25-year-old has been a goalscoring revelation for Portuguese giants Sporting CP, scoring 36 goals across 39 games in all competitions following a club-record €20m (£17m) move from FA Cup semi-finalists Coventry City in July.

Gyokeres has also contributed ten assists in Portugal's top flight and has set up two goals in the Europa League - a competition Sporting have now been eliminated from at the hands of Atalanta.

The Swede's prolific form has inevitably attracted the interest of some of Europe's biggest clubs, with 90min recently revealing that Premier League heavy-hitters Arsenal and Chelsea had sent scouts to watch Gyokeres, and he has refused to rule out an exit despite expressing that his focus is on the present with Sporting.

"I don't think much about the future. I want to win the league and the cup with Sporting. That's what I put all my energy into in the club team," he told Swedish publication Fotbollskanalen.

"It's clear that what I've done has been noticed, but it's not really my focus in everyday life. But of course it's fun that I have fans who appreciate what I've done.

Viktor Gyokeres celebrates scoring a goal for Sporting CP
Gyokeres is in terrific form for Sporting CP / Quality Sport Images/GettyImages
"We'll see this summer. It's not something I know about myself, what will happen. I enjoy Sporting extremely well and feel no stress about the summer coming quickly.

"Of course it's fun. That I get appreciation and leave an impression."

The five-year contract Gyokeres signed when arriving in Lisbon contains a €100m (£86m) release clause, and it's understood that Sporting will only consider a summer transfer if a club is willing to meet that figure.

In terms of what Gyokeres' goals have meant, Sporting CP top the Liga Portugal standings, one point clear of arch rivals Benfica and seven clear of Porto.

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