It was definitely the Bundesliga game of the weekend. Third-placed Stuttgart hosted Bayer Leverkusen in front of 54,500 spectators at the newly built MHP Arena in what would be a two-half match, with Chris Führich giving Stuttgart the lead in the first half (40′) and Florian Wirtz scoring Leverkusen’s only goal a few minutes into the second half (47′).
For Stuttgart, the result means that they missed out on the opportunity to jump ahead of Bayern Munich in the standings after the Rekordmeister was smashed by Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday. Not that that stopped the Stuttgart supporters from chanting the famous “Zieht den Bayern die Lederhosen aus” (pull down Bayern’s Lederhosen) song after the match.
With a six-point lead over fifth-placed Dortmund, Stuttgart are well and indeed on the road to the Champions League. “I think a lot of things are possible,” said the Stuttgart winger and Führich’s goal, Josha Vagnoman, after lending a hand to the game. “If we continue on this path, we can achieve a lot. It’s a wonderful moment for the fans and also for us. But we have to keep our feet on the ground. “
The match showed that Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeneß, despite his team taking a step forward especially compared to last season, still has paints ahead of him. Stuttgart, dominant in the first half, looked surprised after the equaliser and possibly would have had a chance. Possibility of saving a point.
“The first half was ours,” Hoeneß said after the match. “But we didn’t get a better result than 1-1. We had the opportunities, but we couldn’t take them. Indeed, Stuttgart ruled the xG, but star forwards Serhou Guirassy and Deniz Undav failed to show the kind of punch that had powered their club to the most sensible of the table.
For Leverkusen it’s the other way around. ” A lot of negatives in the first half, a lot of positives in the second half,” Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso said. “We had to sort everything out emotionally and physically at halftime. “, and we managed to work our way into the game. “
It’s a typical two-halves game, with both groups playing a part where they failed to press and close defensive gaps. In fact, both groups controlled the absolutely opposite roles.
Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso attending a two-half match against VfB Stuttgart (Photo via Array. [ ] Tom Weller/Alliance Photo Getty Images)
“The first half, we gave away control to easily, and we weren’t well organized,” Alonso said. “We didn’t create enough pressure, and that allowed Stuttgart to get into dangerous areas. They had chances and control because we didn’t play well against the ball. Our primary task in the second half was to defend better and gain control.”
That sounds almost identical to what Hoeneß said about his team’s second half. “Control is the key term,” Hoeneß said. “We managed to have it in the second half. Our pressing wasn’t as good in the second half as in the first half. The goal by Wirtz was a key moment, and we had to chase the ball. Lost the ball too many times, which is what happened to Leverkusen in the first half.”
This result will inform both groups. But both sides have a lesson: Stuttgart in the first half and Leverkusen in the second were quite effective in front of goal.
For Leverkusen, this was the second game in a row in which they struggled to break through a deep defensive line, having drawn 1-1 with Dortmund last week. Alonso pointed out after the game that there were tendencies within this Leverkusen team he wanted to target. The lack of a goal for 180 minutes is, in fact, one aspect.
In the meantime, Stuttgart will have to learn the lesson from this match when they take on Bayern Munich next week at the Allianz Arena. Against Bayern, we’ll have to take advantage of the few chances if we want to beat Rekordmeister. As a former Bayern youngster, Hoeneß is well aware of this.
However, the adjustment also showed that Stuttgart would have a fighting chance against Bayern. The Werkself also have a tough task ahead of them as Leverkusen host Bayern in nightmare Eintracht Frankfurt on what promises to be an exciting day in what promises to be a wonderful Bundesliga season. .
Manuel Veth is the host of the Bundesliga Gegenpressing podcast and Area Manager USA at Transfermarkt. He has also been featured in The Guardian, Newsweek, Howler, Pro Soccer USA, and several other media outlets. Follow him on Twitter: @ManuelVeth and on Threads: @manuveth