TSG Hoffenheim heads into Hoffenheim vs VfB Stuttgart with pressure already building after a start that has left the club with zero points. Two 2-3 defeats, first in Köln and then at home against Borussia Dortmund, have turned a promising beginning into an early test of nerve.
That is why the match in Sinsheim is drawing attention now. Hoffenheim went into the summer with a record 66 million euros invested in new players, a clear sign of intent after a season that had already carried the club from a relegation battle to the edge of the Champions League race. VfB Stuttgart, by contrast, arrives as the team that finished fourth and took the last Champions League place ahead of Bayer Leverkusen and Hoffenheim.
The spending spree was built around young players, with an average age just over 20 years. Patrick Wimmer, 25, was the oldest of the newcomers. The numbers point to a squad being reshaped for the long term, not just patched up for one run of matches. Hoffenheim also moved quickly in the market, including the sale of Bazoumana Touré to Newcastle for 50 million euros after buying him for around 10 million euros one and a half years earlier.
There is, however, a contradiction at the heart of the start. Hoffenheim’s performances have been described as good, even very strong, yet the table shows two defeats, two matches lost 2-3 and no points to show for it. In Köln, the side led twice and still came away beaten after missing a penalty. Against Borussia Dortmund, it was 2-0 after one hour at home and still ended in another 2-3 loss. That is the kind of start that leaves little room for comfort before englischen Wochen begin.
Schicker has been following a clear plan at Hoffenheim for two years, and the club’s summer business fits that script: young arrivals, value growth and a willingness to move on from several names, including Muhammed Damar, Haris Tabakovic, Attila Szalai, Kevin Akpoguma and Dennis Geiger. Grischa Prömel also moved to the VfB on a free transfer, adding another layer to a meeting between two clubs whose recent paths have crossed in the transfer market as well as on the pitch.
What comes next is simple enough. Hoffenheim must turn its spending and its promising stretches of play into points against VfB Stuttgart, because another defeat would deepen the sense that a rebuilt squad is still waiting for its first real proof.
