The VfB Kane from Bad Cannstatt: Much depends on Guirassy
Whether on the pitch, on the substitutes' bench or in the stands - Serhou Guirassy will once again attract a lot of attention.
The goalscorer's chances of playing in the home game against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday (3.30pm/Sky) have been the constant topic of discussion around VfB Stuttgart this week. Not a day went by without new speculation. Will the 27-year-old's thigh hold up? And if so, for how long?
Coach Sebastian Hoeneß expected a last-minute decision. However, the VfB coach announced that they would not take any unnecessary risks. Of course, he was not surprised by the questions about his attacker. After all, Guirassy is one of the shooting stars of the season so far. And according to Hoeneß, he is as valuable to VfB as 15-goal man Harry Kane is to FC Bayern Munich.
14 goals in eight match days
The Guinea international striker scored 14 goals in the first eight matchdays of the Bundesliga - then a muscle injury stopped him. Since then, things have not gone quite as smoothly for Stuttgart's dream starters. In the league, they lost 2:3 against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and 0:2 at 1. FC Heidenheim, in the DFB Cup they managed a 1:0 win over 1. FC Union Berlin in between.
Is the small dip really due to the absence of Guirassy? Or was it not to be expected that the run of success of the almost-relegated team from the previous season would end or at least be interrupted at some point? The truth probably lies somewhere in between. Overall, the team has "compensated well" for the absence of its attacking star so far, according to sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth.
"A very central player"
"There's no question that Serhou is a key player for us," said Hoeneß. And one who "had an enormous run". However, the coach has "absolutely no interest" in attributing the defeat in the Swabian derby in Heidenheim last Sunday to Guirassy's absence. Perhaps the likelihood of a goal would have been greater with the striker. However, Hoeneß said that his team had also created so many chances. And that was ultimately the more important indicator for him.
Deniz Undav is doing his best to replace Guirassy in the center of the attack. The Brighton & Hove Albion loanee has a proven eye for goal, scoring against both Hoffenheim and Union in the cup. However, he lacks the charisma of the eight centimeters taller Guirassy. His physical strength alone makes him an immense challenge for opponents. In addition, the self-confidence Guirassy had until his injury also had an effect on his team-mates.
Coach Hoeneß is therefore not afraid to make comparisons with other top strikers. "If you take Harry Kane out of the Bayern team, sooner or later it might make itself felt," he said. The same applies to Victor Boniface and Bayer Leverkusen. "And for us, it's Serhou." Nevertheless, Hoeneß explained that he did not want to "pass the blame" on the star striker for VfB's two recent losses. And he probably won't either if it happens a third time.
Source: www.dpa.com
