Football Season Guide

Stuttgart´s incredible up and down form continued last season as an appalling six months was followed by an improvement once more. They did enough, just, to move away from the worst of the relegation fight but there are big questions over whether Bruno Labbadia is the man to lead them forward in the long term. He was chased out of both Leverkusen and Hamburg after alienating virtually everyone at these clubs following promising starts so Stuttgart fans will be decidedly nervous going into this campaign. The loss of Traesch from the midfield is notable and though a handful of other players have also left they will not be missed nearly so much. On the other hand, the signings who have arrived are generally quietly positive rather than headline grabbing although Traore, having done well with Augsburg, is a big positive. Schieber also developed hugely in his loan spell at Nurnberg and even managed a couple of goals against his parent club last season. Stuttgart will rely on Cacau improving to score goals but the defence at the other end is a huge question mark and a big improvement is needed if VfB are to compete for a return to European football.