VfB Stuttgart vs Hamburger SV: Post-match analysis
Stuttgart put Hamburg to the sword at the Stuttgart Arena. Four goals. No reply. Dominant from the first whistle to the last. This was not a close game that finished comfortably. This was a statement.
Stuttgart put Hamburg to the sword at the Stuttgart Arena. Four goals. No reply. Dominant from the first whistle to the last. This was not a close game that finished comfortably. This was a statement. Sebastian Hoeneß has his side playing with real conviction right now, and Merlin Polzin's Hamburg simply could not live with it.
They Did Not Compete
Listen, Hamburg came here with 2 wins from 13 away matches this season. Two. That tells you everything about the attitude and desire they bring on the road. They arrived at a ground holding 60,469 people, against a side sitting fourth in the Bundesliga on 53 points, and they offered next to nothing.
Stuttgart had 65 per cent of the ball. They took 23 shots. Hamburg managed 9. The home side put 16 attempts inside the box. Hamburg managed 4. The thing is, these numbers are not a surprise when you look at a team that has conceded 23 away goals in 13 matches on the road. That is not bad luck. That is an absence of standards.
| Possession | Stuttgart 65% / Hamburg 35% |
| Total Shots | Stuttgart 23 / Hamburg 9 |
| Shots Inside Box | Stuttgart 16 / Hamburg 4 |
| Shots on Goal | Stuttgart 11 / Hamburg 5 |
| Corners | Stuttgart 8 / Hamburg 2 |
| Accurate Passes | Stuttgart 458 / Hamburg 221 |
| Fouls | Stuttgart 10 / Hamburg 14 |
| Goalkeeper Saves | Stuttgart 4 / Hamburg 7 |
The Goals Told the Story
angelo-stiller" class="entity-link entity-link--player">Angelo Stiller opened it up on 21 minutes. A proper midfielder's goal, arriving in the right area at the right time. That is the basics done correctly. Chris Jan Führich doubled the lead on 32 minutes and Stuttgart went in at half-time two goals to the good against a side that had no answer.
Maximilian Mittelstädt made it three on 56 minutes. Game over. Hamburg threw on Albert Grønbæk Erlykke and rayan-philippe" class="entity-link entity-link--player">Rayan Philippe at the hour mark but by then the contest was finished. Polzin was making changes because he had to, not because he had a plan. Ermedin Demirović had a goal ruled out for offside on 66 minutes, which would have been four. And then Deniz Undav missed a penalty on 82 minutes after picking up a yellow card two minutes earlier. He did not need to be on that pitch at that point, and Hoeneß took him off on 88 minutes. bilal-el-khannouss" class="entity-link entity-link--player">Bilal El Khannouss wrapped it up on 86 minutes. Four-nil. End of.
Chances Created: The Full Picture: Stuttgart: 3.64, Hamburg: 0.61
Stiller and Führich Set the Tone
Angelo Stiller, Chris Jan Führich, Bilal El Khannouss
Stiller was composed. Führich was direct. The thing is, Stuttgart's goal threat came from multiple areas. Mittelstädt is a full-back getting on the scoresheet. El Khannouss finished it off late. That tells you this is not a one-man team. Hoeneß has built something with real depth and desire across the pitch. Hamburg's goalkeeper made 7 saves. Without him it could have been considerably worse.
Where Does Hamburg Go From Here
| Away Record | 2W-4D-7L from 13 matches |
| Away Goals Scored | 11 |
| Away Goals Conceded | 23 |
| Last 5 Form | D-L-D-W-L |
| League Position | 12th, 31 points |
| Overall Record | 7W-10D-11L |
Listen, 7 wins from 28 league matches is a relegation-zone mentality dressed up in a mid-table position. Ten draws tells me they are not competing hard enough to win games. They are settling. Settling is unacceptable at any level of the professional game. Polzin has only been in the job since November and I will not pile everything on him, but the standards on that pitch today were nowhere near good enough.
Their fouls count was 14 to Stuttgart's 10. You are not even competing with the ball, so you end up competing without it. That is what a lack of accountability looks like in real time.
Stuttgart Are Not Done
| League Position | 4th |
| Points | 53 from 28 matches |
| Overall Record | 16W-5D-7L |
| Goals Scored | 56 |
| Goals Conceded | 38 |
| Home Record | 10W-2D-2L from 14 matches |
| Last 5 Form | L-W-W-D-W |
Fourth place. 53 points. 56 goals scored. Hoeneß has this squad believing. Their home record reads 10 wins from 14 and the Stuttgart Arena is becoming a difficult place to go. Today they were ruthless when it mattered and professional when it did not. The disallowed Demirović goal, the missed Undav penalty, Hoeneß hooking players off at 70 and 88 minutes. These are not problems. These are the actions of a manager who is managing properly.
The thing is, a team that concedes 38 goals and scores 56 is doing the basics right more often than not. That is what competing looks like. Hamburg could learn something from standing in that dressing room and watching how this club operates.
The Signal Landed
We backed Stuttgart to win and they delivered. Four-nil at home against a Hamburg side with no desire and no answers on the road. The logic was simple. The outcome was simple. Stuttgart at the Stuttgart Arena, against a team winning 2 from 13 away. You do not need to overthink that. You back it and you watch it land. End of.