Stuttgart continued their strong start to their returning Bundesliga campaign with a 2-0 win over Hertha Berlin. Leaving Hertha sat 15th in the table after 4 games with just the three points from their opening game vs Werder Bremen. Stuttgart were an interesting watch playing in a 3-4-2-1 which pressed high and looked to counter quickly with several interesting young players.
Hertha set up in a 4-2-3-1 with Cordoba getting another start over Piatek. They enjoyed the bulk of possession with 64% but weren’t effective enough with it. They ended up with 15 shots but only managed 5 within the first 50 minutes and struggled with a final ball. All their play was going through Cunha, but he wasn’t able to carry the team to a win. They built up patiently with their centre backs in deep positions but struggled to progress the ball much and found most of their success from long balls over the top and late on when Stuttgart sat deeper and tried to absorb the pressure, so Hertha found it easy to get into the final third but still weren’t clinical enough to find a comeback.
Ratings:
- A1 – Very good, could play higher
- A2 – Strong potential to play higher
- B1 – Good, strong player at level
- B2 – Potential to be strong player at level
- C – Average for the level, re-watch
- D – Below average in this match
Tanguy Coulibaly
Player Profile:
- Nationality: French
- Age: 19
- Date of birth: 18/02/2001
- Club: VfB Stuttgart
- Career: PSG (Y), VfB Stuttgart
- Position: Left Wing
- Preferred foot: Left
Coulibaly played as the left wing back in this game and was impressive before being taken off in the 64th minute. He played with good intensity and worked very hard, he constantly wanted to press up his wing, which he did fairly well. However he could have been more disciplined at times as he left his man free, but this improved through the game and his awareness got better. When the ball was lost he worked hard to win it back and track back.
He was a driving force on the counter, wanting to charge into space and take on his man. He showed quick feet and good reactions, using different parts of the foot well to control the ball in tight spaces. He was very quick over medium distances with good acceleration. He received switches of play well and wanted to pass-and-move to get forwards. He made a very strong start to the game but was less effective against Zeefuik when he came on, and struggled to beat him 1v1. He also produced a few dangerous crosses and got into good positions in attack.
Rating – A2
Sasa Kalajdzic
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Austrian
- Age: 23
- Date of birth: 07/07/1997
- Club: VfB Stuttgart
- Career: SR Donaufeld (Y), Admira Wacker, VfB Stuttgart
- Position: Striker
- Preferred foot: Left
Kalajdzic stands at 6’7″ with a slim build and wasn’t very mobile, as you’d expect. He lacked explosiveness and agility. He worked hard though and was a fairly intelligent presser, even if not the most energetic. He was strong in the air and was able to flick the ball on well for the two runners off him. His holdup play was a bit mixed and needed to be stronger at times, but was effective several times. He could definitely grow into his frame a bit more and adding some size would make him a real physical threat.
He had two huge chances in this game, both headers from close range. The first was from clever movement to cross to the front post across his defender but hit the post with his header. For the second he was well positioned in between the centre backs and had a free header which he really should have scored but put it wide. He was smart in the box and continued his good start to the Bundesliga season but should have scored.
He also tried one dribble on the counter where he showed decent feet to create space and then feed the runner. He made some decent passes going forward and overall had a solid game. Along with a strong goalscoring start to his first Bundesliga season he could be one to watch this season.
Rating – A2
Silas Wamangituka
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Congolese
- Age: 21
- Date of birth: 06/10/1999
- Club: VfB Stuttgart
- Career: Paris FC, VfB Stuttgart
- Position: Right Wing
- Secondary Position: Striker
- Preferred foot: Right
Wamangituka played as the right wing back in this game which was a bit of an unusual position for him but he had a lot of attacking freedom and didn’t have to defend deep much, especially with Stenzel covering behind him. He pressed up high, with some well timed pressure and high intensity. In deeper areas he was a bit of a passive defender and looked a bit uncomfortable.
He had a decent first half, getting forward well and getting into some good positions and making some good runs. He’s tall with long legs, he’s quick but not the most elegant and his control could be tighter at speed. He came narrow at times on the counter and didn’t get into too many crossing positions and his first time crossing was quite poor. He also showed good ball retention and good commitment to protect the ball but did loses it several times.
He didn’t get that many touches of the ball and had a much quieter 2nd half. Overall he had an okay game but could have imposed himself more, although he is still learning this position, but did drop off in the second half.
Rating – B2
Orel Mangala
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Belgian
- Age: 22
- Date of birth: 18/03/1998
- Club: VfB Stuttgart
- Career: Anderlecht (Y), Borussia Dortmund (Y), VfB Stuttgart, Hamburg (L)
- Position: Centre Midfield
- Secondary Position: Defensive Midfield
- Preferred foot: Right
The Belgian was energetic and pressed well in midfield when needed. He played with a good intensity and was aggressive in his challenges. However, he completed a lot less pressures and defensive actions thatn I expected when looking at his stats. He has quite a stocky build and stands at 5’10”.
He carried the ball into space a few times and was fairly elegant on the ball, receiving it well. He mostly made quick decisions on the ball, only taking a few touches and spreading play so that the more attacking players could start the counter. He supported the attack and made a few decent runs and underlaps but overall had a bit of a quiet game and could have made more of an impact.
Rating – B2
Pascal Stenzel
Player Profile:
- Nationality: German
- Age: 24
- Date of birth: 20/03/1996
- Club: VfB Stuttgart
- Career: Borussia Dortmund (Y), Freiburg (L), Freiburg, VfB Stuttgart (L), VfB Stuttgart
- Position: Right Back
- Secondary Position: Centre Back
- Preferred foot: Right
Stenzel played as the right centre back in Stuttgart’s back three. Wammangituka had a lot of freedom to push up, which left the right side vulnerable at times but Stenzel regularly covered and was in his more natural position. He got into the back of attackers and did well to not let them turn. They played a high line and he stepped out at times in order to track Cunha and man mark him while Hertha tried to progress the ball.
He was a calm defender and comfortable on the ball, mostly playing short passes into midfield and didn’t face much pressure. He spread play wide a few times with nice chipped passes but overall wasn’t overly expansive, going direct a few times.
He had a tough job defensively and was asked to do a lot. He was beaten by pace twice but worked hard to recover. In the box he showed okay footwork and was solid in the air, standing at 6’0 with a fairly average build. He wasn’t the most mobile, with below average acceleration and poor turning speed.
Rating – C
Atakan Karazor
Player Profile:
- Nationality: German
- Age: 24
- Date of birth: 13/10/1996
- Club: VfB Stuttgart
- Career: VfL Bochum (Y), Borussia Dortmund (Y), Holstein Kiel, VfB Stuttgart
- Position: Defensive Midfield
- Secondary Position: Centre Back
- Preferred foot: Right
Karazor played as the central centre back in the back three. He didn’t get on the ball much and wasn’t used in possession, completing half the amount of passes that his centre back partners. When he had the ball he played simple short passes, his one driven pass into midfield went straight to an opposition player. He also made one good carry into midfield after faking past the pressing player, but then played a very poor ball over the top to no one.
He covered wide and read play well, stopping several long balls effectively. He lacked pace and turning speed though. He did okay in the air but struggled physically with the threat of Cordoba in the box. Being the central defender he didn’t have to defend 1v1 and did defend in a high line fairly well, not pressing out into midfield much.
Rating – D