Exclusive | Markus Babbel discusses Florian Wirtz, Vincent Kompany and VfB Stuttgart | OneFootball

Former VfB Stuttgart manager and retired Bayern Munich defender Markus Babbel sat down with Get German Football News to discuss Florian Wirtz, Vincent Kompany, and Stuttgart’s recent rise.

Florian Wirtz has struggled to replicate his Bayer Leverkusen form since moving to Liverpool. Why do you think that is?

It’s a different league. I had the same problem when I came to England. It’s a different sport. It’s faster. It’s harder. There are so many top players there. And it doesn’t matter if you’re Florian Wirtz; [other players] will have no respect for you. They’re kicking you. They’re trying to do everything they can to stop him from bringing his skills onto the pitch. Of course, it took a while. I would say it took until December or the beginning of January, but then he started to perform.

It’s been a bit unlucky for him because at Liverpool, the whole team is struggling. I think in the statistics, he’s high in the standings for chances created, but because the team is underperforming and he’s one of the most expensive signings behind Alexsander Isak, there’s an expectation that he’ll score 15 goals and get 30 assists. This is the mindset of the supporters, but it’s not so easy for him. I still believe that Liverpool will have a lot of fun with him because he is a fantastic player. The first season is, of course, not the best. He can play better, but there’s been a big improvement from him, and he’s learnt a lot. And next season you’ll see a top-class Florian Wirtz.

Talking about Bayern Munich more specifically, how has Kompany transformed the club?

It was a big surprise that he was coming to Bayern Munich, but he was not the first choice. I think he was the fifth or the sixth choice. A couple of others said ‘No, I’m not coming’ or ‘I’m under contract.’ He’s just smart. You can see that he played for a big club and that he was the captain of a big club. And the managers before him, even if it was Thomas Tuchel or Julian Nagelsmann. They were thinking that they won the games. But when you work for a big club, no, the players win the games. Not you. Of course, you train them, you give them a plan, but then, hey, go back, relax, the players will win the games.

This is the most important thing as a manager for a big club like Bayern Munich. The club is always first, then the team, and then comes you. Tuchel or Nagelsmann thought, ‘I’m the most important one, then comes the club, and then comes the team.’ And this is the wrong way. [But,] Vincent Kompany was playing at a big club, so he understands how a big club works. He was a player who had top managers on the sidelines, but [he knew] if he wasn’t performing, they won nothing.

He never talks badly about the players. Never. If something goes wrong, it’s always him. And the boys love it, because they’re smart enough to know today it was good or today it wasn’t good. If they then have a manager who’s saying in the papers, ‘Hey, how bad was Markus Babbel?’ I know that I was bad, I don’t have to hear it from the manager. He can say it in the dressing room, but in the papers? I’m not sure if this is the right way. And the boys love Kompany, and now all the supporters love him, because he’s not the guy going ‘Hey, it’s all about me.’ It’s all about the team. It’s all about the club.

Could you speak a little about the rise of  VfB Stuttgart under Sebastian Hoeneß, and what makes them such a well-run club?

It’s fantastic to see, because I played and I worked for this club for five and a half years so I have a lot of love for VfB Stuttgart. They were struggling, and the point was that Stuttgart was always for offensive football. Even in my time, it was always offensive, offensive, offensive. And then, I don’t know, they lost their way. Sebastian Hoeneß brought this back. They did a couple of very important changes. Alexander Wehrle is the CEO of the club, a top man. Then they brought in a new manager, and with the manager comes Hoeneß, and these three guys, since they’ve been there, everything has been top class.

They nearly got relegated, so his job was to stay in the league. He did it, and then from there it’s been unbelievable. A good eye for experienced players, a good eye for talent, there’s a good mix in the team with young ones and older ones. And so if someone comes, like for Nick Woltemade, and you sell him for €90m, then everyone is saying ‘We have to do it,’ because for Germany that is not usual. And he’s similar to Kompany; he’s always talking about the boys, how good they are, and nothing about him. And this is what the people love, even in Stuttgart. The people love him, and I really pray that he will stay 2-3 years, because then I will know that Stuttgart are in a good way.

Markus Babbel was speaking exclusively to Get German Football News on behalf of BetWright, who have the latest Premier League odds.

GGFN | Nick Hartland