Manchester United know all too well that, if you goalkeeper is the Man of the Match and you still end up failing to win, that is usually the sign of a pretty poor performance.
Andre Onana saved Man United’s skin for the umpteenth time during that Fenerbahce draw on Thursday night.
Without the shot-stopper’s new-found shot-stopping talents, that 3-0 home defeat by Tottenham Hotspur could have descended even further into the realms of humiliation.
And while Erik ten Hag appears keen to scrub United’s worst performance of 2024 from memory, it will take some time before a traumatised Red Devils fanbase can sleep easy again.
Ten Hag’s job is under threat once again at Manchester United after a dismal run of one win in seven.
And while there is arguably a worrying lack of obvious, stand-out successors – Thomas Frank, Ruben Amorim, Xavi Hernandez and co are gifted tacticians but are they really the solution? – one of the names reportedly on Ineos’ managerial shortlist certainly staked his claim on the biggest of stages this week.
Stuttgart boss Sebastian Hoeness shows why Manchester United like him
Could this be Sebastian Hoeness’ very own Erik ten Hag vs Real Madrid moment?
The scoreline might not have been quite so lopsided – Ajax ran riot during the peak of the Ten Hag era with a famous 4-1 win at the Santiago Bernabeu back in 2019 – the manner in which Stuttgart swept Juventus aside in the Champions League should have seen Omar Berrada ink a massive tick next to Hoeness’ name.
The fact that Stuttgart are back in Europe’s premiere club competition after a 14 year absence is, in itself, testament to the remarkable work Hoeness has done at the Mercedes Benz Arena.
His thrilling, free-flowing VFB side finished between Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga table last season.
And, after the ruthlessness of Real Madrid denied Stuttgart a much-deserved victory away from home at the reigning European champions on matchday one, a supremely-confident and dominant display on the hallowed soil of the Allianz Stadium one month later laid the foundations for a win that actually flattered Juventus far more than their vastly-superior guests.
“It was a fantastic game,” Hoeness beamed, masterminding one of the most convincing victories of the entire league phase and one of the best in Stuttgart’s modern history.
“[A game] that we deservedly won,”
Stuttgart mustered a remarkable 22 shots to Juventus seven. 10 on target to one.
Juventus goalkeeper Mattia Perin single-handedly kept the scoreline down – as Onana did when Tottenham ran riot at Old Trafford – with the XG statistics highlighting just how dominant Hoeness’s affordably-assembled and superstar-less team really were on the night.
“[My players] believed they could be successful here right from the first minute,” adds Hoeness. “We put so much into this match and were ready for every situation.
“This win will help us to keep developing. One of the things we can take from this game and performance is that we’ll get our reward if we’re willing to do everything to get it, and if we stick to our plan together.”
Erik ten Hag is under threat again as Man United consider their options
Hoeness, a 42-year-old head coach who only took charge of a senior team back in 2020 when getting the Hoffenheim gig, is certainly not the most high-profile or so-called ‘proven’ name on Manchester United’s managerial hotlist.
Bild report that Hoeness, who started out coaching Bayern’s reserves like a certain bald-headed Dutchman, was approached by Ineos over the summer. Should Sir Jim Ratcliffe finally drop the axe on Ten Hag, Hoeness is likely to come under consideration by Man United again.
And what Hoeness lacks in terms of Premier League experience – a la Thomas Frank – or title-winning nous – see Amorim and Xavi – a man labelled the Bundesliga’s ‘coolest coach‘ arguably makes up for with his ability to create a team far greater than the sum of its parts, while playing a brand of front-foot, confident football befitting of a bonafide European giant.
Enzo Millot had played only two league matches for Monaco before moving to Stuttgart. Now, the fleet-footed playmaker is blossoming into one of Europe’s finest midfielders. Ditto, Angelo Stiller.
Jamie Lewelling has been linked with Man United himself, two years after suffering relegation with Greuther Furth.
Deniz Undav, the jewell in Hoeness’ crown, now has 25 goals in 45 Stuttgart games after barely getting a look in at Brighton.
If Hoeness can turn Millot, Undav and co into some of Europe’s best, then imagine the sort of flavours he could produce with the Michelin star ingredients on offer at Old Trafford.
“I was incredibly happy for Stuttgart,” German legend and former Ballon D’Or winner Lothar Matthaus tells Sport, VFB a second-tier team as recently as 2020 and now outplaying Europe’s premiere clubs on the Champions League stage.
“They have played two away games against Real and Juventus. They lost the game in Madrid unluckily, but were actually the better team/
“[Stuttgart] can be reckoned with internationally.”
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