A flying start
VfB made the perfect start to the campaign, beating BFC Dynamo 6-0 in the DFB Cup first round before cruising to a 5-1 victory at home to Greuther Fürth on the opening weekend of the Bundesliga season. However, a season-ending knee injury to Mohamed Sankoh proved to be the first in a string of ailments to afflict the VfB first team over the course of the first half of 2021/22. Sasa Kalajdzic was struck down on Matchday 2, suffering a shoulder injury that would rule the striker out for the rest of the calendar year.
Blooding the youngsters
These recurring injury problems forced VfB head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo into using 31 players during the first 17 matchdays of the campaign – more than any other top-flight side. Hiroki Ito (22 years old), Clinton Mola (20), Enzo Millot (19), Ömer Faruk Beyaz (18), Wahid Faghir (18), Matej Maglica (23) and Alexis Tibidi (18) were all handed their Bundesliga debuts.
Unlikely goalscorers
Kalajdzic and Silas Katompa Mvumpa netted 16 and 11 league goals respectively in 2020/21, but injuries to both forwards meant VfB were without their two most prolific marksmen for large parts of the first half of this season. An unlikely duo did their best to fill the void, with current top goalscorer Konstantinos Mavropanos netting four goals in the league and fellow centre-back Marc Oliver Kempf registering three. No other Bundesliga club has recorded more goals from defenders this term.
Rookies of the Month
Ito has come on leaps and bounds in his first six months as a Bundesliga player, making 13 league appearances and netting his first German top-flight goal in a 2-1 home victory over Mainz. The defender was also named Rookie of the Month by the German Football League (DFL) in November – two months after Omar Marmoush won the September vote. The Egyptian forward joined VfB on loan from VfL Wolfsburg at the end of August and scored a last-minute equaliser on his debut for the club in a 1-1 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt.
Long-awaited return
The return of Silas in the home game against Mainz – eight months after tearing his cruciate knee ligament – was enough to give anyone goosebumps. The Congolese forward was given a standing ovation by VfB supporters when he replaced Roberto Massimo five minutes from time.
Home comforts
Three of VfB’s four league wins so far this season have come at the Mercedes-Benz Arena – against Fürth, Hoffenheim and Mainz. Matarazzo’s charges, who also beat VfL Wolfsburg 2-0 away from home, ended the first half of the season in 16th place on 17 points.