VfB Stuttgart have turned to Sebastian Hoeneß, with the threat of relegation looming large. - © Oliver Zimmermann via www.imago-images.de/imago images/foto2press

bundesliga

VfB Stuttgart replace Bruno Labbadia with Sebastian Hoeneß as relegation fears deepen

03.04.2023

VfB Stuttgart have sacked head coach Bruno Labbadia after four months in charge and appointed Sebastian Hoeneß as his replacement until summer 2025.

Labbadia, 57, won just one of 11 Bundesliga games in his second stint at the VfB helm, with Saturday's 3-0 defeat to Union Berlin his seventh since taking the reins from Pellegrino Matarazzo on 5 December 2022.

Stuttgart have slipped from 16th to 18th in the Bundesliga standings on his watch, and sit five points adrift of outright safety with eight rounds of fixtures remaining.

Hoeneß, 40, had been out of work since parting ways with Hoffenheim at the end of the 2021/22 season. He oversaw 11th- and ninth-placed finishes in his first two seasons as a Bundesliga head coach, having previously steered the Bayern Munich reserves to the 2019/20 3. Liga title.

"We would like to thank Bruno Labbadia for the work he has done," said Stuttgart CEO Alexander Wehrle. "We signed Bruno last December because we were firmly convinced that we could turn the corner under him. Bruno worked with the team from day one with great commitment and passion, but unfortunately this did not pay off in terms of results. Ultimately, we came to the conclusion that we needed a fresh impetus.

"Sebastian Hoeneß has already gained important experience in the Bundesliga and also knows the youth and transition areas very well as a coach. We're convinced that Sebastian is the right coach for the upcoming challenges and he will overcome this difficult situation together with the team."

When it rains it pours: Bruno Labbadia bows out with Stuttgart winless in their last five Bundesliga matches. - IMAGO/Eibner-Pressefoto/Wolfgang Frank/IMAGO/Eibner

Hoeneß's Stuttgart host Bundesliga 2 side Nuremberg in the DFB Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday, before contesting a relegation six-pointer away to 14th-placed Bochum four days later.

The three-time Bundesliga champions, who dodged the relegation play-offs on the final day of last season, also have fellow strugglers Hertha Berlin and Matarazzo's Hoffenheim to come during the run-in.