Angelo Stiller: Tactical Analysis
The German defensive midfielder is a target for Real Madrid due to his great season with Stuttgart. Below we review his stats, playing style, and comparison with Kroos.
Relevant player information
Angelo Stiller is a left-footed German midfielder born in 2001. He currently plays for VfB Stuttgart who won the DFB Pokal this year against Arminia Bielefeld, providing two assists in the 4-2 win.
His market value is €38 million (according to Transfermarkt), and his contract runs until 2028.
Since the age of nine, he has played in Bayern Munich's youth teams, making his first-team debut on October 15, 2020, against FC Düren in the German Cup. In 2021, he left the Bavarian club to join Hoffenheim, where he steadily gained playing time until he excelled, eventually signing for Stuttgart in 2023 for a fee of €5.5 million.
Finally, his breakthrough performance at the German club over the past two seasons has caught the attention of prestigious European clubs like Real Madrid, who are projecting him as a possible successor to Antonio Kroos (the player himself admitted in an interview that he would be an excellent replacement). He's undoubtedly a player to keep an eye on in the coming years.
The German "architect"
Angelo Stiller is known for being a very complete midfielder in terms of playmaking. He excels at passing forward to launch the team in search of a goal with switches of play, through balls, or short combinations.
However, at first glance, he's not a physically outstanding player: his defensive contributions and passing are far below his other offensive qualities. Therefore, he's a technical defensive midfielder, but he lacks the physical qualities to handle himself confidently in duels or in divided plays where distance is a limiting factor.
His role at Stuttgart is to be the playmaker, to give the team a break, and to inspire his players to select the best options for attack. In other words, to be a kind of "omnipresent."
In Hoeness's team, he complements each other wonderfully with Karazor, a defensive midfielder who is responsible for "sweeping" the opponent's play, being more physical and tough: something the German lacks.
An exceptional passer
Without a doubt, the Munich-born player excels most in passing. Tactically, he positions himself between the two center backs to improve the fluidity of the play from the base.
Compared to the rest of the midfielders in the five major European leagues (Spain, England, Germany, Italy and France), Stiller is one of the best there is in terms of passing: he stands out in passes completed per game with a percentage greater than 90%, as well as great efficiency in long passes and passes forward, which makes him differential in the team's engine room to launch his players into attack with highly relevant precision.
Regarding his attacking influence, he remains among the midfielders with the most passes into the box and makes effective progressive passes, ensuring good balls to his teammates so they can attack the space or take advantage of opportunities inside the opponent's penalty area.
More notable is his ball retention: with an average of 65 touches, he only loses the ball 9 times per match.
Defensive weakness?
Despite his audacity with the ball at his feet, without it he is a player who does not excel physically or in defensive actions in terms of anticipation or recovery.
His role is that of a deep-lying playmaker, not a "tank" who can easily sweep up opposing plays or break up a counterattack. Therefore, at Stuttgart, he plays with another, more defensive-minded center who can cover his back, leaving him to do the more physical work. When called upon, Stiller does boasts a high percentage of duel wins, but he's not a player known for constantly going all out.
Little daring with the shot
Being the playmaker in midfield and at the heart of the play, he rarely makes any contact with the opposing goal. It's true that he consistently excels at completing passes into the box and making long balls, but in terms of creating chances and scoring goals, he's not a player who gets too close to the edge of the box to take a daring shot, although he does make the final pass (11 assists in 47 matches).
Nor is he a player who drives the ball forward and leads counterattacks. He's a player who calms the play and finds the best way to get the ball out to reach the opponent's box with maximum quality, escaping the pressure.
The best U-24 midfielder in the top seven leagues
Kroos' successor?
His comparison to Kroos is obvious: similar role, same nationality, coming from a German club, and targeting Real Madrid. What's also most striking is the similarity to Tony in terms of play.
Comparing Stiller's 2024/2025 season with Kroos's 2022/23 season, the two present similarities in every aspect of their game. Kroos was somewhat more physical and agile on the ball than the Stuttgart midfielder, but the Munich midfielder comes quite close in terms of passing.
Kroos himself, according to several reliable journalistic sources, would have advised Real Madrid to sign the German due to the club's need to find a player capable of easily turning the game and leading the midfield merengue.
Toni Kroos's "chosen one" is Stiller. Will he also be Real Madrid's choice, or will he end up joining another club?
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