After a good month’s break due to a thigh injury, Marc Oliver Kempf is fit for action again. But the central defender, who was set until the tenth matchday, must first fight for his place in the VfB Stuttgart team again. Not an easy task, according to his coach.
“Marc is fully active in training, he is an option for the squad and also for the starting eleven,” said Pellegrino Matarazzo before the match in Wolfsburg on Saturday. Due to thigh problems, the 26-year-old has not been able to play a game since the end of October. And during his absence, Hiroki Ito collected many plus points in Kempf’s position on the left in the three-man backline.
“Hiro is doing a very good job,” Matarazzo praises the Japanese player. “You can feel a certain stability offensively and defensively. The way he stings, the way he runs off balls, the diagonal balls he plays, he has a certain calmness on the ball. That’s why Marc has a task ahead of him.” The VfB coach is happy about the competition and assures: “Nothing is given, the better player is on the pitch.” He added that it was about who was ready to “tackle the game in Wolfsburg with force and intensity. “
Führich returns to individual training
General Matarazzo is pleased that the list of absentees is getting shorter at VfB, which has been badly shaken lately: “Competition is good for us.” Midfield talent Naouirou Ahamada is also back in full training and an option. Chris Führich is back in individual training after a COVID-19 infection at least, but not yet an option for the game in Wolfsburg. Substitute keeper Fabian Bredlow is also making progress, but Matarazzo said they don’t want to take any risks until the winter break.
Wolfsburg should get a bad feeling
The US Italian demands alertness, activity and “full power” from the start from his Wolfsburg team. It’s about working on the opponent after their Champions League game during the week “so that they get a bad feeling”. And it’s about maintaining this level of performance over 90 minutes. Most recently, VfB lapsed into administrative mode against Hertha after taking a 2-0 lead and carelessly squandered the victory. Matarazzo then clearly criticised this passivity (“A few players did less than we needed”). Now the players in Wolfsburg have to do better.
