In the relegation, VfB Stuttgart has to play against Hamburger SV and the coach at the Hanseatic League is Tim Walter. He took over VfB in the summer of 2019, but only made it to the winter break.
A club that often changes coaches often meets their ex-coaches. This is a simple law and so VfB Stuttgart now meets the next ex-coach in the fight to stay up. The duel with Hoffenheim and Pellegrino Matarazzo on the last day of the game went anything but hoped. Now things should go better in the relegation against Hamburger SV and Tim Walter.
YouTube video from SWR Sport Fußball: “Relegation! VfB Stuttgart meets the final opponent HSV – YOUR VfB #73 | SWR Sport”
Does Walter still have a score to settle with VfB?
It’s difficult to measure whether it’s a disadvantage if opposing coaches have already coached VfB and know the players and club structures. That may have been the case with Matarazzo, who was only a few months away from VfB.
With Tim Walter, however, there are several years in between. The findings from back then are probably pretty worthless today. And whether the motivation is particularly pronounced, you would have to be able to read Walter’s thoughts. In any case, he officially says that his VfB past no longer plays a role today.
Early separation after only half a year
VfB definitely had an impact on Tim Walter, because the involvement with the Swabians was not crowned with lastingness for the coach, who was still comparatively inexperienced at the time. He was supposed to lead the club back from the second division to the top flight and convinced the VfB managers with an unconventional approach to the game. The so-called “Walter-Ball” was characterized by constant changes of position, defenders coming up, a lot of possession and running. A tactical concept that no one else had.
But the surprise effect fizzled out quickly, the opponents adjusted to it. After a total of five defeats in seven games, Walter had to leave after about six months at VfB, although the club was still on target in third place in the table.
Controversial game concept and idiosyncratic character
The personality of Tim Walter, who came across as very loud, some say loud-mouthed and arrogant, was also decisive, and thus made for some headlines. The players didn’t all get along with the rough and direct manner of the coach, who was born in Bruchsal and had his first experiences as a youth coach at Karlsruher SC. So it was decided at VfB to end the experiment with Tim Walter prematurely. No one knows whether Walter’s disappointment still has an effect today. But now would be the perfect opportunity to show the former club their own quality in the two relegation games.
Helpful experience from relegation defeat in the previous year
Walter has been the coach of HSV since 2021 and last season he had to go into relegation with the Hanseatic League. At that time, Hertha BSC prevailed. But you have gained experience from it that could be valuable now against VfB Stuttgart, says Tim Walter before the next attempt to finally make the return to the Bundesliga with HSV.
Actually, it looked like a direct ascent for a long time, before Heidenheim managed the seemingly impossible with two goals in added time. The promotion party had almost started and ended abruptly after a few minutes.
“The probability of direct promotion was previously low, it only increased during the game. But now we have to make it perfect through relegation”, Walter tries to describe the situation. He would have preferred not to return to Stuttgart under these circumstances, but now he wants to make the best of it.
