VfB Stuttgart: Where things stand at the break | OneFootball

Looking to get back into the Champions League after last season's DFB-Pokal triumph, Stuttgart have been in sensational form since the campaign's opening days. 

VfB edged past Borussia Mönchengladbach in matchweek two, but fell to a 3-1 defeat against fellow Baden-Württembergers Freiburg after the first international period of the term, adding a second loss on the board after their 2-1 defeat against Union Berlin on opening weekend. 

The eventual sale of Nick Woltemade brought an end to a speculation-filled summer, prompting the club to add multiple bodies to Sebastian Hoeneß's squad on deadline day, one of whom going on to become the club's star of the season so far.

Sitting fourth in the Bundesliga, through to the next round of the DFB-Pokal, and with a recent uptick in European form. Things are going well on the banks of the Neckar at the moment.

Recent form

Stuttgart needed to respond after September's defeat in Breisgau. And they went on to do so in fantastic fashion against an at the time, in-form St. Pauli side. Ermedin Demirovic lifted the ball into the roof of the net to open the scoring in the first half, before deadline day arrival Bilal El Khannouss laid down his first mark in the Bundesliga with a neat finish to seal a 2-0 victory.

Magic from the boots of the Moroccan attacker would become the theme throughout October and the early days of November. With Stuttgart looking to open their Europa League campaign with a win, a beautiful finish from the edge of the box against Celta Vigo sent Untertürkheimer Kurve into raptures as VfB secured a 2-1 win on opening night.

While they would fall to away defeats against Basel and Fenerbahce in Europe along the way, Hoeneß's side would pick up four Bundesliga wins in a row, while they beat Mainz to secure their pathway into the DFB-Pokal round of 16. 

VfB would eventually taste domestic defeat for the first time in six matches when they lost 3-1 to RB Leipzig earlier this month. Though they responded with a fantastic Europa League win against Feyenoord, with more magic from El Khannouss opening the scoring, before Deniz Undav sealed the deal late on.

Heading into the international break, VfB cemented their place in fourth through a 3-2 comeback win against Augsburg.

Tactical notes

Throughout his time at the club, it has been a rare occurrence to see Hoeneß shift focus away from his renowned 4-4-2/4-2-3-1. However, as a result of Ermedin Demirovic's fractured tarsal, keeping the Bosnian forward out for up to eight weeks, Hoeneß was required to go back to the drawing board. 

Before the return of Undav, Tiago Tomas led the line, supported mostly by El Khannouss, Jamie Leweling or Badredine Bouanani in a 3-4-2-1 system.

VfB have rotated seamlessly between three and four at the back across the last month, with Die Schwaben securing a fantastic 3-0 win away at Wolfsburg using the former. 

Another important note across recent weeks has been the uptick in the form of Chris Führich, who has begun to look more like the player seen in Stuttgart's ‘Vizemeister’ season. This can partly be put down to the change in system, allowing the winger to operate far more centrally in a front three. However, there has also been a clear improvement in confidence alongside this. 

Crucial run approaching

VfB will return from the international break with a run of fixtures that could set the tone for the rest of the season. 

Up first is a trip to Signal Iduna Park, where they will face a Borussia Dortmund side that they have been unbeaten against in six matches. And after a huge clash in the race for Champions League football, they make the trip to Deventer to face Go Ahead Eagles in the Europa League, before facing Hamburg back on German soil.

There is a cautiously confident mood around VfB Stuttgart at the moment, with their form placing them as one of the firm favourites to reclaim Champions League football, alongside deep progression in the DFB-Pokal and in Europe. 

However, the coming clash away at Dortmund is huge; there is no other way to describe it. If they emerge from the coming weeks with their top four position consolidated, Hoeneß's side may well be on their way to securing a fantastic Bundesliga finish this term.