Yanik Spalt shines on his Champions League debut. Could the youngster solve a major problem for VfB Stuttgart?
VfB Stuttgart suffered their first defeat of the current Champions League season against Galatasaray on Tuesday evening. They played well for much of the match, but the scoreboard read 0-2 (0-2) after 90 minutes. As so often this season, Stuttgart failed to take their chances. Jamie Leweling hit the woodwork twice early on.
The defeat to a clinical Turkish side is not a particularly serious setback for Sebastian Hoeneß's team. Stuttgart have collected seven points from their three Champions League matches so far, including one from a strong showing against favourites Atletico Madrid. A win against Gala would have taken them to ten points and left them almost certain to reach the knockout stage with four matches still to play. They missed that chance in Istanbul.
At Rams Park, Stuttgart still had plenty to take from their performance. They impressed for long stretches, as they had in last weekend's 4-2 Bundesliga victory over Bayer 04 Leverkusen. After uninspired and disjointed displays at the start of the season, including defeats against Hoffenheim, Hamburg and Mönchengladbach, the team seem to be gelling and putting Hoeneß's tactical plan into practice more consistently.
Hoeneß also saw what Yanik Spalt can offer. The youngster has been in his squad since this summer and, despite his relatively young age, already has the attributes to solve one of Stuttgart's major problems.
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How did Yanik Spalt's Champions League debut for VfB Stuttgart go?
An injury brought the 19-year-old Austrian into the match sooner than expected. Former captain Atakan Karazor had to leave the pitch in the 17th minute with thigh problems, forcing Spalt into action in Istanbul's "cauldron". On his Champions League debut, he handled the difficult conditions remarkably well.
The deafening atmosphere impressed Spalt, but he did not hide. He threw himself into every challenge, called for the ball and repeatedly looked to get forward with courage. "That was top-class," said team-mate Deniz Undav, who, in the heat of the moment, even forgot that the central midfielder was by no means a seasoned veteran with countless Champions League appearances. "I had the feeling he was a veteran. He wanted every ball, went into challenges, wanted to turn with the ball. Hats off to him. And to do that in that stadium, with that atmosphere."
Stuttgart's sporting officials were impressed too. Hoeneß described Spalt's performance as "exceptionally good and composed", while managing director for sport Fabian Wohlgemuth said: "There are quieter places to make a Champions League debut. He went into a challenge straight after coming on, committed to it and won it. Those are moments you go over at night. To show up like that in a game like this is exceptional. It was a very special moment for him."
Getty ImagesCould Yanik Spalt solve a major problem for VfB Stuttgart?
During pre-season, Spalt looked set for a bigger role in Stuttgart's first team. He played considerable minutes in friendlies against TSG Balingen, Kickers Offenbach, FC Fulham and FC Paris, with his display against the French side attracting particular attention. Wohlgemuth described that performance as "very, very good". Stuttgart subsequently made Spalt a permanent member of the first-team squad, and he has been named in the squad for eleven of the senior side's 14 competitive matches.
His first-team debut came with a late substitute appearance at home against 1. FC Köln on the second Bundesliga matchday. A week later, he played 55 minutes away at Hoffenheim. Against Galatasaray, he played 72 minutes, significantly longer than in any of his previous Stuttgart appearances.
That playing time may become more common. Spalt's rise is timely for Stuttgart, whose central midfield has been the side's Achilles heel this season. After completing the free-transfer signing of Grischa Prömel from TSG Hoffenheim early in the summer transfer window, Stuttgart had initially appeared to have settled their plans for the positions in front of the defence.
Then Chema Andres left late in the window, with Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion paying Stuttgart around €22 million for the young Spaniard on deadline day. That suddenly left Stuttgart short of players. Hoeneß initially paired his preferred signing Prömel with the established Stiller, but they have yet to click as the coach envisaged. Prömel in particular has fallen well short of expectations, allowing Karazor, who lost the captaincy in the summer, to reclaim the place beside Stiller for a time.
Injuries have since made the situation more acute. Stiller had to come off at half-time in the DFB Cup match at SC Paderborn a week and a half ago and is out until further notice with an injury in the adductor area. Karazor suffered a muscle contusion against Gala, meaning he is unlikely to be available for Saturday's match against Werder Bremen.
Spalt now has a chance to make his case for more playing time. Hoeneß said on Tuesday evening that the Austrian had "made a case for further appearances". Against Bremen, he may make the starting line-up for the first time.