Thread: today’s game against Stuttgart will be very interesting as we’re playing against one of the most fun sides in Europe.

Their manager (Pellegrino Matarazzo) & Director of Football (Sven Mislintat) have completely transformed the club after taking over in the 2. Bundesliga

Their scouting is elite & they have signed some absolute gems in the last 2 years. Mislintat proving on numerous occasions why he’s one of the best talent spotters in the business. They have the 2nd youngest squad in Europe’s top5 leagues & their players fit their style perfectly

They struggled a to get out of the 2. Bundesliga at first, but after they appointed Matarazzo (a virtual unknown assistant manager of Nagelsmann) in December 2019 & they changed their system to a 3-4-3, to facilitate their young, fast attackers, they managed to get promoted

And they have taken to the Bundesliga like a duck to water bc their rapid counter-attacking style of play is perfect when they don’t always have the majority of the possession but rather have space to run into. Something that was evident when they beat Dortmund 5-1 away from home

They are not afraid to rely on the individual brilliance of their attacking players either (most Dribbles & most distance carried in the league).

Matarazzo also likes to change games with subs. He used the most subs in the league & his squad have the lowest mins played per start

Let’s have a look at a few of their most interesting players.

Most of them brought in by Mislintat who already is credited with finding the likes of Lewandowski, Kagawa, Aubameyang, Dembélé, Hummels, Pulisic, Guerreiro, Gündogan & Reus when he was at Dortmund

Gregor Kobel, 23, GK

- youngest starting GK in Germany
- great with his feet & very important for their build up play
- often starts counter-attacks with accurate long throws
- needs to work on his long goal kicks
- Leipzig have already sounded him out for if Gulácsi leaves

Wataru Endo, 28, DM, CM

- elite reading of the game
- ridiculous stamina (played every second this season)
- most duels won in the league (363)
- 3rd most distance covered (277.2 km/h)
- great in the air despite being just 1.78m
- chips in with the occasional goal or assist

Orel Mangala, 23, DM, CM,

- box to box midfielder
- great stamina & physicality
- likes to dribble through the center of the park & carry the ball
- perfect partner for Endo
- could become a great midfielder once he adds a few more goals & a bit more defending to his game

Gonzalo Castro, 33, CM, AM,

- completely revived his career at Stuttgart & is their captain
- has played pretty much every position in the last few years including RB, LB, DM, CM, AM & on the wing
- doesn’t always start but still has an eye for a goal or an assist
- reliable

Konstantinos Mavropanos, 23, CB,

- finally free from injuries
- really quick (34.32 km/h)
- pretty aggressive & relishes physical challenges
- excellent progressive passing out of the defense
- very active defender & likes to step out of the defensive line to put in a tackle

Borna Sosa, 23, LWB, LB,

- one of the best crossers in Europe
- most assists from crosses (6) in Europe’s top5
- great set-piece deliveries
- overall: 8 assists in 20 games
- very quick
- needs to work on his defending but is one of the most promising LBs / LWBs in the world

Nicolás González, 22, LW, ST,

- extremely fast: 35.22 km/h (quicker than Haaland)
- 1.8m but really good in the air & has a great heading ability
- finds himself in great positions due to his great awareness & works the channels excellently
- has even played LWB for Argentina

Sasa Kalajdzic, 23, ST,

- most headed goals (6) in Europe’s top 5
- scored in all of his last 7 games
- overall 14 goals this season
- perfect Target Man for a pressing system
- ridiculously tall: 2.00m
- can also bring others into play, especially with layoffs (4 assists)

Silas Wamangituka, 21, RM, RWB, ST,

- one of the fastest players in Europe (35.42 km/h)
- 2nd most sprints in the league (730)
- nominally a RWB, he plays like an attacker
- great dribbler
- works hard defensively (3.3 tackles)
- 13 goals & 5 assists https://twitter.com/TaistoFCB/status/1337923453131890688?s=20

Tanguy Coulibaly, 20, LW, RW, ST
- used mostly off the bench
- can play anywhere across the front line due to his speed & acceleration
- left-footed Wamangituka

Mateo Klimowicz, 20, AM, False9
- ambidextrous & great technically
- used primarily as a sub
- decent work rate

As you can see, most players are fast, have a great work rate & generally fit their style of play perfectly.

And those guys are complemented by players that might not stand out as individuals but are still great in their system. Like their CBs: Waldemar Anton & Marc Oliver Kempf