The five-times Bundesliga champions find themselves fighting relegation and it is up to former midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger to rescue them, in the short and long term
It was proving to be a miserable Monday in Stuttgart. Overcast but cool conditions had given way to snow and then, around 10am, howling winds. Yet the mood among the locals was bright and upbeat, which was hardly surprising given events of the previous afternoon.
VfB Stuttgart 5 Hannover 1. A first victory in nine games for Markus Weinzierl’s side as well as their biggest of the season by some distance. Crucially, it was against fellow relegation candidates, fuelling hopes that Die Roten may stay up after all. Cue smiles and laughter among the 60 or so people who had braved the wintery weather in order to watch the players go through an open-to-public warm-down session at the club’s training base, located on the east bank of the river Neckar and in the shadow of the 60,000-seater Mercedes-Benz Arena, named after the car manufacturer which, like Porsche, is a source of great pride as well as employment in the city.
Written by Sachin Nakrani in Stuttgart
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/mar/22/inside-stuttgart-a-fallen-giant-in-search-of-a-fresh-faced-identity under the title “Inside Stuttgart: a fallen giant in search of a fresh-faced identity”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
