A season that started with much promised ended with relegation for Stuttgart whose two-year stay in the Bundesliga came to a disappointing end following a poor performance in their relegation playoffs defeat.
Having finished seventh in the previous season, Stuttgart were hopeful for another positive season but a return of just five points from their opening 10 games saw them quickly drop to the foot of the table. By then the club had decided to dispense with Tayfun Korkut and brought in Markus Weinzierl as his replacement.
Results did improve somewhat as Stuttgart secured crucial wins against Augsburg, Hertha Berlin and Nurnberg but they could only manage just one more win until the end of April, all but confirming they would be finishing in the bottom thee. With the relegation playoffs spot also in danger, Stuttgart brought in Nico Willig to replace Weinzierl and they did end the league campaign on a positive note, picking up seven points from their final four games.
However a 2-2 draw in the first leg at home against Berlin raised the stakes for Stuttgart who were unable to improve on that result in the second leg, losing out on away goals.
There was not much to speak about performances for Stuttgart with players struggling for fitness and form. Benjamin Pavard had a decent final campaign for Stuttgart, having already agreed a move to Bayern Munchen, while Nicolas Gonzalez, Anastasios Donis and Marc-Oliver Kempf also showing promise of potential but it was Ron-Robert Zieler who was their most dependable player though the keeper did not get much help from his defense.
With Stuttgart yet to confirm a permanent replacement for Weinzierl and players expected to leave, it will be a crucial summer for the club if they are to bounce straight back to the Bundesliga
