How Sebastian Hoeneß is successful at VfB

DFB Cup - How Sebastian Hoeneß is successful at VfB

Uncle Uli Hoeneß is impressed by his nephew's attractive soccer, FC Bayern Munich is watching him as a coaching candidate for the future. And at VfB Stuttgart, Sebastian Hoeneß can currently be considered a man of the year. Eight months ago, the 41-year-old took over the then bottom of the Bundesliga and achieved a remarkable transformation.

With the rapid rise from crisis club to Champions League contender, Hoeneß is also coming under the spotlight. On Wednesday (8.45 pm/ZDF and Sky), he will be able to increase the attention once again during prime-time soccer: With the Swabians, Hoeneß wants to thwart Borussia Dortmund's ambitions in the round of 16 of the DFB Cup and increase his own title chances in this strange season with the early failure of many first division teams.

Hoeneß himself appeared his usual calm self on Tuesday, but was eagerly anticipating the knockout duel: "There is hardly a greater challenge in this round than playing against Borussia Dortmund," said the coach: "It will be a nice setting. We have the opportunity to show our best side, that's what we intend to do."

Euphoria triggered

Hoeneß exemplifies keeping his feet on the ground. However, he approaches all of his challenges with optimism. He has triggered an unprecedented euphoria around VfB. "The way they are playing soccer now makes your heart smile," said long-time Munich club boss Uli Hoeneß (71) on RTL back in October.

In the meantime, VfB's development is even more remarkable. The traditional club is playing its most attractive soccer for a long time. The team, which was unsettled last season, is playing with conviction and remarkable consistency. Hoeneß has developed the team and individual players and boosted their self-confidence. The coach generally makes the "right decisions", praised sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth.

On the day before the cup match, Hoeneß left it open as to whether he will play with the double front line of Serhou Guirassy and Deniz Undav again on Wednesday. He seems to have struck the right note with the team. "One thing is simply important to me, that's communication, leading the team," said Hoeneß when asked how he would describe himself as a coach: "I think there's a lot of potential there."

Important: discussions and no unrest

The "characters of the team" benefit him: "I'm sure I've also contributed to the fact that things are the way they are now." He believes it is important to hold discussions so that no unrest arises despite the competition in the team. "The players need to know where they stand."

Hoeneß is clear in his speech - also to the media - and also skillfully moderates more critical topics in the difficult Stuttgart environment. Compared to his first Bundesliga stint in Hoffenheim between 2020 and 2022, the family man seems to have matured. At TSG, his appearance was perhaps also characterized by a certain gratitude for his first chance in the first division.

Hoeneß and VfB - it seems to fit. "In hindsight, I'm glad that we waited for VfB despite requests from home and abroad because it was exactly the right club," explained father Dieter Hoeneß recently. However, his son has "all the prerequisites" to coach a Champions League club one day.

Return to FC Bayern?

Due to the family constellation, Hoeneß' involvement as head coach at Bayern would of course be charming. "In the long term, you can never rule something like that out," said Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen on TV station Bild almost two months ago about a possible return of former third division coach Hoeneß, who led Bayern's amateurs to first place in the 3rd division in 2019/20.

Hoeneß started at VfB last April as a helper in dire need. The collaboration quickly worked, and the threat of falling into the second division was averted. In the meantime, VfB no longer seems comparable to last season. One of the key personalities for the most successful first half of the season since the 2006/2007 championship season is that Hoeneß brought in his dream player Angelo Stiller.

The Swabians are five points ahead of runners-up Dortmund, also thanks to a 2:1 win in the direct Bundesliga duel. Three and a half weeks ago, the hosts were clearly the better team against a disappointing Dortmund. "Why shouldn't that be possible again on Wednesday?" said VfB sporting director Wohlgemuth.