A convincing and goal-hungry VfB Stuttgart remains clearly on the road to success with interim coach Michael Wimmer.
The Swabians reached the round of 16 of the DFB Cup with an easy 6:0 (4:0) against the overwhelmed bottom of the second division Arminia Bielefeld. After the dismissal of Pellegrino Matarazzo after the 4-1 win against Bochum, VfB also won the second game with the previous assistant Wimmer in charge.
Wimmer will also sit on the VfB bench in the upcoming Bundesliga game against Borussia Dortmund. “It’s no big secret that Michi will do it until the weekend,” said sports director Sven Mislintat on “Sky”. “For me, this is a very, very pleasant topic. Because A, it gives us time to find the best possible solution. And one thing is also clear: even if someone else comes, Michi is part of the solution.”
Pascal Stenzel gave the three-time cup winner the lead in the 20th minute during his walk in front of 24,500 spectators. Wataru Endo (24′), Luca Pfeiffer (29′) and Silas (40′) made things clear before the break against the frighteningly weak Bundesliga relegated team, who are still deep in the crisis. Pfeiffer (52nd) and Serhou Guirassy (67th) followed up.
VfB now want to continue their upward trend with renewed self-confidence in the difficult away game at Borussia Dortmund on Saturday. It is questionable whether there will be a decision on the coaching question by then. The Dane Jess Thorup (currently without a club) and the former Hoffenheim coach Alfred Schreuder (Ajax Amsterdam) are traded as candidates.
After their heaviest cup defeat to date, Bielefeld can fully concentrate on the relegation battle in the 2nd division. On Saturday we face FC St. Pauli.
Wimmer made six changes to the starting XI after beating Bochum. VfB, who defeated Dynamo Dresden (1-0) in the first round, initially struggled a bit. The former Stuttgart Mateo Klimowicz, who tested Fabian Bredlow right away, had the first chance. He replaced regular keeper Florian Müller in the VfB goal.
The game was quickly decided
But Stuttgart took the initiative and was quickly rewarded. Stenzel flicked the ball into the goal after a poorly defended corner kick by Arminia. He caught Bielefeld’s keeper Martin Fraisl on the wrong foot. Even at 0:2, the Bielefeld defense didn’t look good when Endo was completely free to head the ball.
When Pfeiffer added, the game was quickly decided. For the enthusiastic VfB, it was then a show run. Stuttgart was also able to save energy for the game at BVB.