In the away match in Munich, VfB spent the entire 90 minutes chasing after the record champions. A sobering performance, even regardless of the opponent’s quality.
Sure: Just because of one good season, it doesn’t mean we’re suddenly on equal footing with clubs like Bayern or our next opponent, in whose city I’m already staying. Still, the difference between the two teams is not as big as the course of the match and the result of the not-so-highly-anticipated “South Summit” might suggest. The fact that Bayern ultimately secured a fully deserved 4–0 victory, even in terms of the scoreline, was mainly due to the fact that absolutely nothing worked for VfB: no consistent defending, two completely overwhelmed full-backs in Vagnoman and debutant Hendriks, a midfield that had no grip on the game for all four goals, and an attack lacking bite and creativity.
Too Much Rotation?
Perhaps the rotation was a bit too much, and maybe the legs of Maxi Mittelstädt and Enzo Millot should have been saved for the end of the match. But far more glaring was the fact that Bayern beat VfB at their own game from last season, sending one diagonal ball after another behind the red-and-white backline, while the Stuttgart players unsuccessfully resorted to long balls that they couldn’t make use of due to a lack of strength in duels. VfB never found a way into this game.
And they never gained a foothold. Harry Kane’s long-range shot to make it 1–0 was only logical after a first half full of missed chances. Josh Vagnoman had a chance like this in the second half, but he squandered it just as hastily and carelessly as his team wasted the entire game. The second, third, and fourth goals were a disheartening reminder of the loss of control that seemed to have been overcome in the early matches — and even worse, they brought back memories of the helplessness of past years, when VfB regularly got steamrolled by Bayern’s quality, unable to extinguish their offensive fireworks. Nowadays, however, the team has both the quality and the self-assurance to not only stand up to such challenges but to play along. In my preview of this game, I wrote that we didn’t need to hide from the next opponents — but that’s exactly what we did on Saturday.
The Season is a Marathon
Now, this thrashing is just another entry in a series of matches where more was possible and seems, at first glance, like the temporary low point of a negative trend. However, this overlooks the fact that in three matches, VfB was at times very dominant, once undone by the referee, once by a strong opponent, and once mostly by themselves. The game in Munich was the opposite of dominant, and Sebastian Hoeneß rightly announced that they couldn’t just return to business as usual afterward — as used to be the case in the past. The gap between the team’s potential and what was shown in Munich was simply too great.
At the same time, we must properly assess the first real dry spell in Hoeneß’s tenure. Yes, the game was catastrophic, and the coming weeks won’t be easy. But this team has bounced back from setbacks before, and the season doesn’t end at Christmas. A massive improvement is needed against Juventus and especially against Kiel. But this season is a marathon, and we can’t just throw a tantrum and give up after five kilometers.
And now it’s time to say: Dopo tutta la merda si parte per il viaggio. Stoccarda internazionale!
Picture: © Adam Pretty/Getty Images