VfB Stuttgart’s central dominance the nucleus of their success

In his latest Kognia analysis, Vincent Leifholz assesses VfB Stuttgart's impressive start to the season, exploring the tactical reasons behind their performances.

Before joining Kognia in September 2025, Vincent was a performance analyst, working at multiple clubs including Hannover 96 and FC Hansa Rostock.

VfB Stuttgart this season...

• Dominance and positioning lay the key foundations in establishing their tactical identity

• Narrow style in possession, not looking to stretch opponents with runs in behind

• In-possession shape optimises approach for counter-pressing

• Recruitment has aligned well with the team’s playing style

On the road to success

After starting the season with two defeats, VfB Stuttgart has been on a domestic winning streak for weeks. Head coach Sebastian Hoeneß's team has won six of its eight competitive Bundesliga matches this season and recently recorded five consecutive victories for the first time since October 2023.

A semi-final as a turning point 

Sebastian Hoeneß has managed to get his team back on track, despite results last season that weren't always satisfactory. In April this year, VfB played the cup semi-final against RB Leipzig. Prior to that, the team had gone six Bundesliga matches without a win, even losing four of those six. But VfB won, albeit by a stroke of luck, against Leipzig (xG 0.89 vs. 2.08; shots on goal 9 vs. 25), subsequently winning the DFB-Pokal and five of their last eight league matches.

Stuttgart is continuing this positive trend this season, but what patterns and principles does Sebastian Hoeneß want to see from his team on the pitch that will ensure this strong start continues?

Clear principles that lead to dominance in possession

VfB's game is based on possession and dominance (they have the second-highest possession after Bayern Munich). In addition to the high possession rate, VfB plays the most passes between the opponent's lines and also converts the most passes there in the league. 

Stuttgart lead the Bundesliga in Filtering a pass between the lines by a considerable margin

They also rank among the top five teams in two metrics that characterise possession play. 

• In emergency support (76th percentile), a Kognia metric that shows the extent to which a team creates receiving options  when a player is under pressure (check out the video below for a couple of examples)

• In vertical overcoming support (76th percentile), which shows how often a player receives a pass in which at least one player from the opposing team is bypassed vertically, in other words the extent to which a team creates options in the next levels in order to play as many vertical balls into the next levels as possible.

The focus on positional play and the spaces between the lines becomes even clearer as VfB rank last in the Bundesliga when assessing player movements behind the defensive line, and passes behind the defensive line.

The team generates options by frequently overloading the centre, regardless of their tactical formation. In the team's width metric, which indicates the extent to which a team utilises the width of the field in attack, VfB ranks 17th.

The radar shown below illustrates some of the key tactical aspects of VfB's playing style

This emphasis on the centre places VfB in optimal positions for well-organised counter-pressing (hold after loss, 94th percentile) in many situations. Not only the positioning of the players, but also the rapid forward movement of the defensive line (reducing distance to opponent’s half, 88th percentile) ensures close distances between the individual team units and players, and short distances after losing the ball. This compactness also allows VfB to win many second balls (secure second ball after finishing, 94th percentile) and immediately regain possession (possession after recovery, 76th percentile).

VfB's positional play sets them up well to defend proactively and aggressively

Central control through successful recruitment

VfB’s strong performances and clear tactical identity stem from Sebastian Hoeneß’s plan, but also, we must acknowledge the excellent scouting that identifies players who match these playing principles. The performances of VfB's central midfielders (Andres, Karazor, and Stiller), measured by several Kognia metrics and shown below, demonstrate league-wide top values ​​in various areas.

The individual skills fit perfectly to Sebastian Hoeneß's game plan. Furthermore, the signing of Chema Andres looks to have added even more to the team's existing profiles. Andres has top stats in precisely those areas where the other two central midfielders fall slightly short.

Some challenging fixtures ahead

Of VfB’s next six matches, there are two away games at RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund, before they host Bayern Munich in early December. Their performances in these fixtures will no doubt provide insight into their credentials to challenge for the higher positions in the table. 

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