Can VfB Stuttgart save its season?

With the announcement that Benjamin Pavard will leave VfB Stuttgart for Bayern Munich in July, along with the team already mired in a battle to avoid relegation --- and with the club working on its second coach for the season --- can Die Schwaben avoid relegation?

VfB Stuttgart needed the first half to end more than most Bundesliga squads as it was filled with inconsistency and poor performances from a team standpoint. Despite all of that, however, the season is more than salvageable for the proud club.

In watching Hamburger SV and FC Koln succumb to relegation last season, Stuttgart is well aware that even the most storied Bundesliga clubs are susceptible to dropping from the first division.

Currently in 16th place, Stuttgart is only ahead of Hannover 96 and FC Nurnberg in the league standings, but the potential to escape from those depths is there for Die Schwaben.

A healthy Mario Gomez should provide a boost to the offense and at least help provide stability to the lineup, while Pavard will no doubt be looking to showcase his ability in hopes of making people forget his shaky first half as he prepares for his move to Die Roten.

From there, however, the roster has a lot of question marks.

Holger Badstuber has been unable to shake his injury history and has appeared in only eight games this season. When he moved from Bayern (after his loan with Schalke ended) to Stuttgart, Badstuber was supposed to provide veteran leadership and stability to the back line. With a center back tandem of Badstuber and Pavard, Stuttgart was looking at a very stable and talented defensive pairing.

That scenario has not played out.

The transition from Tayfun Korkut to Markus Weinzierl in October has also not provided quite the turnaround the club had hoped. While Die Schwaben has been better under Weinzierl in terms of on-field performance and consistency, it has not been enough to push the squad out of the Bundesliga basement.

Even with a solid team leader such as captain Christian Gentner, Stuttgart has not been able to really develop an identity as a team. Are they a gritty defensive-focused squad that will grind you down? Are they a counter-attacking force? Are they a possession-based team looking to wear you down? The truth is that they are not really any of those, but contain bits and pieces of each style that really don't amount to any one, consistent style.

To make its move in the second half, Stuttgart will ideally have to capture two wins among its first four games of the Ruckrunde. With Mainz, Bayern, SC Freiburg, and Fortuna Dusseldorf, the scenario is doable.

Now it's just up to Stuttgart to make it happen.

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