VfB Stuttgart players and officials believe that Tuesday evening’s impressive Champions League performance against Atlético Madrid can serve as a turning point in their disappointing start to the Bundesliga campaign. Despite settling for a 1-1 draw after playing the final half-hour with a numerical advantage, the Swabians emerged from the encounter with renewed confidence in their ability to compete against Europe’s best teams.
Stuttgart entered Tuesday’s match having collected just six points from their opening six Bundesliga fixtures. Sebastian Hoeness’ side had nevertheless won both of their opening Champions League encounters and delivered another convincing European performance against Diego Simeone’s Spanish title challengers.
Jamie Leweling’s 36th-minute opener, his first goal since March, rewarded Stuttgart’s aggressive pressing and attacking enterprise. Although Julián Álvarez equalized immediately after the interval, the hosts continued to compete admirably and created further opportunities after Morten Hjulmand’s 64th-minute dismissal.
Left-back Maximilian Mittelstädt insisted that Stuttgart’s performance had provided definitive evidence of their quality.
“We are good, that’s not up for debate,” Mittelstädt told reporters in the mixed zone. “If you perform like that against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, there’s no room for a split opinion. We have the ability to perform within us. Today, I had the feeling that we gave 100 percent from the start. Everyone pushed themselves to their limits. With such energy, we’re a top team.”
“We have attacking quality,” Mittelstädt continued. “What’s been missing these last few weeks and months has been capitalizing on opportunities. It’s absolutely the case that, against a team like Atletico, one has to turn a little into a lot. Unfortunately, we turned a lot into a little today. We nevertheless put forth a good game and we can build on that in any case.”
Wohlgemuth hails Stuttgart’s best performance of the season
VfB Board Member for Sport Fabian Wohlgemuth was similarly encouraged by the performance. The Stuttgart executive also emphasized the importance of the atmosphere inside the MHP-Arena, where an elaborate choreography from the Cannstatter Kurve helped inspire the hosts.
“These games in the middle of the week are something special,” Wohlgemuth told reporters in the mixed zone. “In the Champions League, the fans are ever more present. After the choreo, the fans were excited and present. They put a lot of work [into the choreo] and it had a special effect on the players. Our players were driven towards a top performance. That’s one reason why, in my opinion, it was the best game of the current season.”
Stuttgart’s high-intensity approach disrupted Atlético’s attempts to establish possession throughout the first half. The visitors struggled to cope with the hosts’ pressing, particularly in their defensive third, and could consider themselves fortunate to enter the interval trailing by only one goal.
“Today, we witnessed a draw against one of the best teams in Europe,” Wohlgemuth answered in response to a later question. “One of the most aggressive teams [in Europe] wasn’t able to impose its game on the pitch today. We managed it and pushed them to the brink of defeat. We’re basically all happy. We all know what we’re capable of. That there was more in the game today, yes I’m aware of that.”
The performance was especially significant given Stuttgart’s recent domestic difficulties. Saturday’s defeat against Hamburger SV had represented a fourth Bundesliga loss in six matches, raising questions about whether Hoeness’ side could reproduce the standards established during previous campaigns.
Wohlgemuth, however, maintained that the club had never lost faith in the squad’s capabilities.
“We haven’t always proved this season that we can hold our own,” Wohlgemuth emphasized when pressed about the team’s performance again. “We nevertheless knew that we have a good team. We knew that when we push ourselves to the limit, we can play against the top teams. We have proof of that today based on the performance.”
Crucially, Wohlgemuth believes Tuesday’s performance can provide a foundation for improvement in the Bundesliga.
“We can take a lot out of this game,” Wohlgemuth continued. “The teams that are ahead of us in the Bundesliga [table] – there may be more of them than at this precise point last year – we can pick up points against them. That [feeling] is stronger after [tonight’s] game than before [tonight’s] game.”
Prömel identifies Champions League performance as potential benchmark
Midfielder Grischa Prömel also suggested that Stuttgart’s display against Atlético could serve as a standard for the matches ahead. The 31-year-old, who returned to the starting XI on Tuesday evening, particularly enjoyed the collective intensity with which the hosts approached the encounter. Asked directly whether Stuttgart were improving, Prömel offered a measured response.
“Whether or not it’s better, I don’t know,” Prömel told reporters in the mixed zone. “We would have liked to have taken all three points. I can say it was a lot of fun to be on the pitch with the lads. Today we saw what the coach wanted from us and what we want for ourselves, and it’s possible to view tonight’s game as a benchmark.”
Prömel was especially pleased with the team’s pressing and defensive commitment, both of which helped unsettle a visiting side that had entered the encounter on a six-match winning streak across all competitions.
“I think we showed today what it meant to be there for each other and fight for each other,” Prömel responded to a later question. “We had a lot of solid ball wins, high recoveries, and direct actions in the direction of the goal. There’s not much to hold against the team today apart from the fact that we didn’t win. Maybe that sounds a bit abstract, but that’s how it is.”
Beyond the tactical improvements, Prömel also spoke enthusiastically about the occasion itself. For a Stuttgart side struggling to find consistency in domestic competition, the opportunity to compete against one of Europe’s established powers offered a reminder of what the team remains capable of achieving.
“It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it,” Prömel said. “One doesn’t play against Atletico every day. When one walks out and witnesses that choreo, it just fits in with the whole evening. It was an absolutely lovely Champions League evening. One dreams of such things and that’s what makes all the daily hard work worthwhile.”
Stuttgart now have an immediate opportunity to translate their European performance into Bundesliga progress. Borussia Mönchengladbach visit the MHP-Arena on Friday evening, with Hoeness’ players hoping to demonstrate that their encouraging display against Atlético was more than an isolated success.
Having remained unbeaten through three Champions League fixtures and collected seven points, Stuttgart have already demonstrated their ability to compete on the European stage. The challenge now is to reproduce that intensity, commitment and attacking enterprise on a consistent basis in domestic competition.