Sebastian Hoeness has transformed Stuttgart into a Champions League-worthy team, making him one of Germany’s most promising coaches and a potential candidate for Europe’s biggest clubs.

At Stuttgart’s home stadium, where Slovenia kicked off Euro 2024, fans are witnessing the extraordinary transformation of their club under Sebastian Hoeness. This promising coach, who carries the famous Hoeness name, has quickly become one of Germany’s most intriguing managers, spearheading a revival that many thought impossible.

VfB Stuttgart is one of Germany’s historic football clubs, with five national titles and three cup victories. Twice, they were close to European glory—losing the 1989 UEFA Cup final to Maradona’s Napoli (when Slovenian Srečko Katanec played for Stuttgart) and the 1998 Cup Winners’ Cup final to Chelsea. Their last league title in 2007 drew a quarter-million fans to the streets, and their last Champions League appearance was in the 2009/10 season, where they were knocked out by Guardiola’s Barcelona in the Round of 16.

The following 14 years saw Stuttgart’s fortunes decline, with relegations in 2016 and 2019. Even their Bundesliga survival in 2023 came only after a playoff. For a club with more than 110,000 members, a 60,000-seat stadium, and unwavering fan support (close to 50,000 attended home games during their struggles), these were difficult years.

Everything changed when Sebastian Hoeness stepped in as head coach in April 2023. Taking over a team on the brink of relegation, Hoeness helped Stuttgart avoid demotion by defeating Hamburg in the playoff. Few could have predicted the incredible turnaround that would follow in the 2023/24 season.

Hoeness, nephew of Bayern Munich’s legendary Uli Hoeness and son of Dieter Hoeness (who served as Stuttgart’s director in the 90s), didn’t have an illustrious playing career himself, representing Hertha and Hoffenheim’s reserve teams in lower leagues. After hanging up his boots, he launched his coaching career with youth teams at Leipzig and Bayern Munich, leading Bayern’s reserves to a third-division title in 2019.

His work with Bayern’s reserves caught the attention of Bundesliga side Hoffenheim, where he took the head coach role in 2020. Although he led Hoffenheim to an 11th-place finish in 2021 and 9th in 2022, he was dismissed for failing to secure a European spot. A year later, Stuttgart hired him as an interim “firefighter” coach, but his impact went beyond expectations.

In his first full season (2023/24), Stuttgart experienced a meteoric rise, finishing second in the Bundesliga, just a point ahead of Bayern and behind an unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen. This success marked their return to the Champions League after 14 years. While Xabi Alonso’s undefeated Leverkusen stole headlines, Stuttgart’s resurgence under Hoeness was nothing short of remarkable.

Hoeness has implemented a possession-based, structured style, favoring formations like 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3, and 4-4-2. His emphasis on building from the back has been well-supported by Alexander Nübel, on loan from Bayern, whose passing ability plays a crucial role. In attack, Hoeness’s system prioritizes wing play and creating space for cross-field passes into the box. Defensively, the team is compact, crowding the ball side to disrupt opponents.

Stuttgart’s return to the Bundesliga elite is partly due to smart player acquisitions. Their frontline features striker Ermedin Demirović, who joined from Augsburg for €21 million and scored five goals in his first seven games. German-born Demirović plays for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s national team. His striking partner, Deniz Undav, came permanently from Brighton for €26.7 million after an impressive loan spell, contributing both goals and versatility.

Among Stuttgart’s valuable players is 22-year-old Enzo Millot, a French attacking midfielder who often plays on the right wing. A product of Monaco’s youth academy, he joined Stuttgart in 2021 for €1.75 million and is now valued at over €40 million. His creativity has been pivotal to Stuttgart’s attacking play.

The midfield is anchored by Angelo Stiller and captain Atakan Karazor. Stiller, valued at nearly €30 million, has a bright future ahead, while Karazor, a Stuttgart mainstay for five years, has been a critical leader in the team’s resurgence. In defense, left-back Maximilian Mittelstadt, with ten national caps, arrived from Hertha for a modest €500,000 and now boasts a value of around €17 million. Central defenders Jeff Chabot and Anthony Rouault (from Cologne and Toulouse, respectively) solidify Stuttgart’s backline.

Stuttgart’s growth from a team fighting relegation to one challenging European giants in the Champions League is a testament to Hoeness’s strategic vision and Stuttgart’s well-planned acquisitions. While their Bundesliga form this season hasn’t matched last year’s due to Champions League obligations, they continue to impress. A month ago, Stuttgart routed Borussia Dortmund 5-1, and in Europe, they outplayed Real Madrid in their opening match (despite a 3-1 loss) and recently defeated Juventus in Turin, handing Thiago Motta’s side their first loss of the season.

Hoeness’s influence has made Stuttgart’s Neckarstadion a fortress once again, filling it with 60,000 passionate fans each match day. This combination of innovative coaching, player development, and strategic purchases is paving the way for Stuttgart’s brighter future after years of drought.