Angelo Stiller’s remarkable Champions League statistic highlights growing problem at Stuttgart

Angelo Stiller continues to impress for Stuttgart, but his outstanding numbers only highlight the attacking frustrations and midfield issues facing Sebastian Hoeneß.

Sebastian Hoeneß has transformed VfB Stuttgart’s fortunes in recent years, but is now going through his toughest spell at the helm since his 2023 arrival. 

Four defeats in six league matches have left Die Schwaben playing catch-up, and Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Hamburg only added to the frustration. 

However, results haven’t always reflected performances, with glimpses of why VfB have been so special under Hoeneß still very much there. 

Angelo Stiller remains central to that, with the German midfielder continuing to impress despite his side’s inconsistent start to the campaign. 

In light of this, a remarkable Opta stat highlights his influence while also showing the glaring problems for those wearing the Brustring at the moment. 

Angelo Stiller’s impressive numbers underline Stuttgart struggles

According to Opta, Stiller has made 51 line-breaking passes in the Champions League this season, more than any other player in the competition. 

To put that into perspective, Paris Saint-Germain midfielder had registered 227 ahead of last season’s final, with Stiller already reaching 51 after just two matches. 

VfB faced Viking Stavanger and Slovan Bratislava in their opening two, and will face tougher tests, but Stiller continues to impress in the heart of Hoeneß’s midfield and, at times, carry the side on his back. 

His contribution is not limited to Europe either, having provided both assists in the 2-0 win vs Paderborn, while he has registered 65 line-breaking passes and created 10 chances across 483 Bundesliga minutes. 

And at the very same time, Stuttgart as a side have struggled to make the most of this in the final third. 

According to FotMob, VfB have generated 12.3 expected goals in the league so far, the sixth-highest figure in the division, but have found the net just eight times. 

They have also created 24 big chances, the third-highest total in the league behind Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen, but crucially, they have missed 21.

Saturday’s defeat at the Volksparkstadion was the most blatant example of this, with Stuttgart recording 24 shots, holding 66% of the ball and generating 2.31 xG without finding the back of the net. 

Ermedin Demirovic was particularly wasteful, passing up several promising opportunities, while Deniz Undav continued his frustrating league run as he was denied by the woodwork and an inspired Daniel Heuer Fernandes. 

The possession is there, with Stuttgart averaging 54.5%, the chances are there, and the quality is there. 

However, for all of the good work, Hoeneß’s side are being undone at a rate of knots unseen in recent years, and something must change soon. 

Sebastian Hoeneß must address midfield balance problem

While much of the attention has understandably fallen on the wastefulness in front of goal, defensive problems have plagued VfB in the season’s opening months. 

Hoeneß’s side have conceded ten goals in six Bundesliga matches, with the heavy opening-day defeat to Bayern Munich and last month’s loss to Hoffenheim exposing concerning weaknesses. 

The arrival of Grischa Prömel over the summer has changed the midfield dynamic, with former captain Atakan Karazor dropping out of the side as a result. 

Prömel offers a more attacking presence than Karazor, but the Stiller-Prömel partnership hasn’t exactly protected the backline, with VfB looking incredibly vulnerable in transition at times this term. 

Karazor has since returned to the lineup against both Paderborn and Hamburg, but even then, the basketball-match style seen this term resurfaced. 

Hoeneß has looked to persist with a strike partnership, leaving Bilal El Khannouss either out wide or on the bench, while neither Prömel nor Karazor have proven a suitable partner for Stiller so far this season. 

In Stiller, VfB have one of the most capable midfielders in Europe when it comes to breaking opposition lines, but this means nothing if their own weaknesses are overriding this. 

Maybe a certain Chema Andres would have made a difference, El Khannouss in a more familiar central role instead of the stalling Undav-Demirovic pairing. 

Stiller has continued to operate at the near-elite level he’s become known for in recent years, but the balance around him has been lost, and if Stuttgart are to find form again, the balancing act will be the most important fix.

First, Atletico Madrid travel to Neckarstadion on Tuesday evening, giving Stuttgart a chance to right the wrongs of the season so far against a modern giant of the competition.