In the fight to stay up, VfB Stuttgart relies on Bruno Labbadia on the coaching bench. On Monday, the 56-year-old returnee led his first training session with the Bundesliga club, which was threatened with relegation.
VfB Stuttgart is in the middle of a relegation battle. That’s why CEO Alexander Wehrle brought Bruno Labbadia back. Because “Bruno Labbadia can stay in the league,” said Wehrle on Monday at the official presentation of the new head coach, “We have a clear plan,” said the designated rescuer. “Now it’s up to all of us to implement this plan.” The team had already met Labbadia in the morning, he wants in the afternoon the first training session conduct.
He wants the team give a new structure and show wayssaid Labbadia. “Despite the difficult situation, the desire for football should not be neglected.” With a view to the young team, the main thing at the moment is to give the players confidence again.
Labbadia would like to develop VfB Stuttgart in the long term
But Labbadia does not only come as a possible rescuer; his contract runs until 2025. But the 56-year-old doesn’t want to think that far ahead. “Now my focus is just those first few weeks and months.” In the long term he would like to lead VfB Stuttgart back to safe territory. Because “relegation battle, I’m honest, nobody needs it. But if you make it, you take a lot with you.”
VfB Stuttgart isn’t just fighting relegation
VfB Stuttgart is currently in relegation place 16 and only has a one-point lead over VfL Bochum. A lot depends on the rescue mission. CEO Wehrle made that clear: “A possible relegation in 2023 cannot be compared with a relegation in 2016 or 2019. In between there are two and a half years of Corona with a turnover of 90 million euros, a stadium investment of 120 million euros. Another descent means a loss of 40 sales million euros. The situation is serious.”
Labbadia knows VfB Stuttgart
Firefighter Labbadia knows how explosive the situation is. “I’m sitting here because the club isn’t doing well. It’s not the easiest task. But I need a certain thrill and a challenge.” His advantage: He knows VfB Stuttgart, after all he was the Swabian coach from 2010 to 2013. The face of the team has changed several times since then. But Labbadia has already discovered some familiar faces among the employees: “The team around the team is underestimated. That can have a positive, but also a negative effect. That’s why I’ve spent the past five days committing the team to the common mission. “
Together with Bruno Labbadia was also the new sports director Fabian Wohlgemuth presented. The Berliner, who was brought in for a fee from second division club SC Paderborn, is the successor to Sven Mislintat. “Wohlgemuth has proven that he can put together a good team with manageable financial resources,” enthused VfB club boss Wehrle.
New sports director optimistic in the relegation battle
“If we put the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle together correctly, I’m sure we’ll do the job positively,” said 43-year-old Wohlgemuth. However, you shouldn’t “ignore the facts: We’re 16th and haven’t won an away game for almost a year.”
That should change with Labbadia when it starts again on January 21, 2023 in the Bundesliga against Mainz. He has proven that he can cope with the difficult situation at his stations in Hamburg, Wolfsburg and at his first engagement in Stuttgart. Now he can hardly wait for it to finally start.
