Matarazzo hints at benching for Tomas: "He can play football differently."
VfB Stuttgart trainer Pellegrino Matarazzo will be seeking to to snap a four-match-losing-skid at home against Freiburg on Saturday afternoon.
At a Wednesday presser, the American head-coach dropped strong hints that he would bench Portuguese striker Tiago Tomas and possibly start Congolese talent Silas alongside Sasa Kalajdzic.
Since leading VfB Stuttgart back to the Bundesliga, Pellegrino Matarazzo has been unable to record a win against SC Freiburg. In point of fact, the VfB head-coach hasn't even managed a draw against the Breisgauer. His Swabians dropped both league fixtures in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 campaigns.
At a Wednesday presser, the American head-coach dropped strong hints that he would bench Portuguese striker Tiago Tomas and possibly start Congolese talent Silas alongside Sasa Kalajdzic.
As the Swabians prepare to welcome their BaWü brethren to the Mercedes Benz Arena on Saturday afternoon, a subject generating much curiosity in German football circles concerns how Matarazzo will structure his attack. After watching the VfB gaffer boldly place "Silas" alongside Sasa Kalajdzic in the latter stages of last round's 2-2 draw with Bremen, many wonder if Matarazzo will roll with this exciting formation in the next match.
If Wednesday's presser is any indication, the answer appears to be yes. Matarazzo took care to emphasize that Tiago Tomas, the young Portuguese attacking prospect who occupied Silas' position before being subbed off, remained an "important player for the team". The 44-year-old nevertheless reiterating a point made in his post match comments following last Saturday's draw. Namely, that he needed to "see more" from the youngster.
"We know what we have in him [Thomas]," Matarazzo noted, "but he can play football differently. He can act with more intensity and win more duels."
Even if the 20-year-old has scrubbed away Matarazzo's doubt with a strong training week, Tomas may still find himself the odd man out. Silas had been keeping the left-wingback position in the coach's constellation warm for Croatian sensation Borna Sosa, who may be ready to make his starting XI comeback after nursing an injury through pre-season.
Sosa played 31 minutes in relief las Saturday and generally looked fit.