Bundesliga 2023/24: How Sebastian Hoeneß has emphasized Serhou Guirassy’s strengths at Stuttgart – scout report

Stuttgart narrowly avoided relegation from the Bundesliga last season, finishing in 16^th place. The former five-time German champions beat Hamburger SV over a two-leg playoff, 6-1, to ensure they would compete in Germanys top flight for this 2023/24 campaign. Despite the disappointing campaign last season, one positive aspect proved to be the acquisition of forward Serhou Guirassy.

Guirassy arrived at the Swabians on loan from Ligue 1 side Rennes in September 2022. The move became permanent at the end of May 2023, with the Guinea international penning a three-year deal. Guirassy finished the 2022/23 season with 14 goals, including 11 in the league, and as the clubs top scorer, was therefore pivotal to Stuttgarts survival.

His goal return attracted the eye of some top clubs across the continent during the summer. Premier League outfits such as Newcastle, Fulham, and Nottingham Forest were all rumoured to have shown an interest, as well as the Dutch side Ajax. However, the alleged €15 million release clause in Guirassys Stuttgart contract was not activated; Guirassy reportedly turned down the opportunity to join Fulham late in the transfer window. The Swabians are reaping the rewards of Guirassys commitment this season, as he is currently the divisions top scorer with five goals in three matches.

In this Sebastian Hoeneß tactical analysis and scout report, we will analyse how Guirassy got off to a slow start at Stuttgart and how the appointment of current manager Sebastian Hoeneß has led to a higher goal return.

This analysis will detail the tactics deployed by Hoeneß to identify how they differ from his predecessors and how they subsequently complement Guirassys strengths.

Lack of consistency at the start

Life at Stuttgart was chaotic behind the scenes during the 2022/23 season. A revolving door was in the dugout as four managers, including interim boss Michael Wimmer, took the helm during the campaign. During the earlier stages of last season, Guirassy lacked firepower upfront under Pellegrino Matarazzo and Wimmer. His form did improve under the third appointment, Bruno Labbadia. However, he rarely featured under the German due to an injury he sustained early on in the Labbadia reign.

The table shows that Guirassys goal return per 90 minutes was at its lowest under Matarazzo and that he was less clinical under Wimmer. Matarazzo started last season with a 3-5-2 formation, and Guirassy scored a penalty in his first full start for Stuttgart in the 2-2 draw away at Bayern Munich. Matarazzo seemed indecisive as in the initial 3-5-2 formation, he first partnered Guirassy with Tiago Tomás and later with Silas Katompa. The American then experimented with 4-3-3 and 3-1-4-2 formations. The tactical indecisiveness translated to poor performances on the pitch from Stuttgart.

A strength of Guirassys is to hold the ball up to link up with the midfield to progress the attack forward. However, during the Matarazzo era, the 27-year-old looked like he was lacking in confidence.