Dhe unusual goal celebration needed explanation. Orel Mangala, Silas Wamangituka and Tanguy Coulibay got together, all three of them opened an imaginary book – and then pretended to write something in it.
“It was like that,” said Mangala and grinned: “In training, I said to the boys: ‘Let’s make history this season.’ So we opened the book after the gate and entered something. “
Then the Belgian midfielder of VfB Stuttgart, who had prepared his first Bundesliga goal in the 5: 1 (1: 1) win of the promoted team at Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, grinned even wider and recommended himself: He now has to get back to the dressing room quickly : “Because we want to celebrate a bit.”
A little sensation
Source: dpa
If a team deserves it, it’s coach Pellegrino Matarazzo’s. What kind of game was it that this collection of precocious, highly gifted skylighters had played? VfB not only taught BVB an embarrassing home bankruptcy, but also showed rousing, offensive and impressively fast football.
“I can throw up confetti, I’m so happy about what I was able to see,” wrote Stuttgart’s CEO Thomas Hitzlsperger on Twitter. The cheers of the ex-national player could not be overheard during the game on the largely empty grandstand of the Dortmund stadium.
Young and good
The second youngest team in Bundesliga history (23.37 years old) scored five times – but there could have been more goals from Stuttgart. From the whistle on, the Swabians put the runner-up under pressure, repeatedly playing the ball through the gaps in Dortmund’s five-man defense chain – over the wings, through the middle. As soon as the guests had captured the ball, they switched to offensive mode at lightning speed.
“It was a great victory that gave us a lot of confidence,” said goalkeeper Gregor Kobel after Silas (26th and 53rd minute), Philipp Förster (60th), Coulibaly (63rd) and Nicolas González (90th + 1) had met.
How can this runaway victory be explained? “We just had a better plan than the opponent,” said midfielder Förster, who, together with the Japanese Endo, was responsible for taking the ball from Dortmund and then sending the attacks off with centimeter-precision steep passes. Good, fast-paced football can be so easy.
“We worked brutally as a unit and played with dominance and conviction,” said Matarazzo, who didn’t seem a little surprised about his team’s performance. The result, of course, doesn’t happen every day. But the way of playing would have developed over months. “We are taking very good steps at a good speed. We have an enormous level of training and commitment. That’s why we’re moving so fast, ”he explained. As I said: very easy.
Father of success: VfB coach Pellegrino Matarazzo (center)
Source: dpa
The Stuttgart, who had struggled in the past second division season until they finally managed to get promoted, remained unbeaten in their six away games in the upper house. They scored at least one goal in every game. Their high-speed football has meanwhile made them an attraction in the Bundesliga.
It is the result of persistent development work. Sports director Sven Mislintat, who put the team together for the most part from summer 2019, had already proven at Borussia Dortmund, where he was head scout for eleven years, that he has an eye for talent. But in Stuttgart he also showed that he can build a team and knows which coach is right for it: VfB parted with Tim Walter during the winter break last season and brought on Matarazzo. Mislintat’s most significant commitment so far.
“Potential is limitless”
Where this team can go is still open. The rapid development of Silas Wamangituka alone fires the imagination. “With Silas and with many other players, the potential is limitless,” said Matarazzo – very Swabian immodest. “We’re not dealing with the Challenge Europe,” said Mislintat when the question arose whether VfB, now only two points behind Dortmund, could possibly start dreaming big.
Sven Mislintat
Quelle: Getty Images
The question that concerns the Swabians more is a different one: will Mislintat, the architect of the new, fresh VfB, be able to be retained? His contract expires at the end of the season. But there is hope. In the meantime, an agreement on an expansion of the cooperation should become apparent. “I hope that we can report this promptly,” said Hitzlsperger to Sky. It just needs to be “written down how we can continue to work together”.
That sounded at least traditionally Swabian cautious.
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