VfB Stuttgart only managed to stay up in the league on the last day of the Bundesliga season last season. In the new season, the Swabians don’t want to let it get that far.
“Last season showed how important it is to get the necessary points early on in order to be able to play in another area of the table,” said coach Pellegrino Matarazzo on the sidelines of VfB Stuttgart’s start of preparations.
Nevertheless, the last-minute win against 1. FC Köln on the 34th Bundesliga matchday “welded the Swabians together”. “This team spirit will give us a boost,” Matarazzo is certain.
In preparation for the new season, the coach focuses primarily on fitness. But team spirit is also very important.
“We want to challenge the group, strengthen a management structure and live common values. As a framework for more,” emphasized Matarazzo, adding: “If that’s there and everyone is willing to give everything for the team, there’s always room for individual development.”
“That’s the be-all and end-all” at VfB Stuttgart
Players who cannot submit to the new structure at VfB Stuttgart should be strictly sorted out in the future. “We want to recognize early on when someone isn’t showing the necessary behavior. If a situation threatens to get out of hand, you have to nip it in the bud. That’s the be-all and end-all,” emphasized Matarazzo.
This new credo should be lived by both the management and the players. “A feeling, an attitude that you transfer from top to bottom,” said the Stuttgart coach.
Last season, youngster Alexis Tibidi caused unrest in the squad through being unpunctual and undisciplined. The 18-year-old was eventually demoted to the second team.