One promotion, one heart-stopping last-gasp escape and 98 games: Pellegrino ‘Rino’ Matarazzo has certainly experienced some special moments since taking over on 30 December 2019. “A lot has happened, including plenty of highs and lows,” says Matarazzo, looking back on his time as VfB head coach thus far. “Promotion in 2020 was incredible. Then in our first year back in the Bundesliga, we played some good football. There was a real buzz around the club and there still is. Then we had a difficult second season but with that incredible finish. I enjoy every day I have with VfB though, even when some of them are pretty intense. It’s a lot of fun.“
Pellegrino Matarazzo:
“There are some great people here in Stuttgart and at the club. I feel very much at home here.“
Since taking up the top job in Stuttgart, there have been 45 changes of head coach in the Bundesliga – only Christian Streich (SC Freiburg: 3,923 days) and Urs Fischer (1. FC Union Berlin: 1,547 days) have held their positions longer. Rino himself does not set much store by this particular milestone, but will admit that in coaching terms, 1,000 is “actually quite a long time – that’s a lot of days,” he smiles. “To be honest, though, it doesn’t really feel all that long for me. The time flies here. I like my job. I like getting up every morning and driving in here. I look forward to what the future holds – we’re very much heading in the right direction.“