Vfbstuttgartfan
27 Dec 2008, 10:19 AM
Well, without much to report on ths winter, and to pass the time, here's my individual players review for the 08/09 Hinrunde:
Goalkeepers:
Jens Lehmann: 17 BL games (avg. rating 3.03)
6 Uefa Cup games (avg. rating 3.70)
2 DFB Pokal gaMES (2.50)
2 Intertoto Cup games
In my opinion our man of the season so far. Can't say enough how much he has helped the side, this may have been a pretty average season so far, but it would be much worse without him. Such an enormous step up after a year of Raphael Schaefer.
almost always strong, faultless all season other than 2 goals against Gyor and Varna, both due to lack of focus, prolly in large part due to the opposition. Other than that has been excellent throughout. Lets all cross our fingers that he stays on for one more season after this, its clear to all that he's still got it in him! Our player of the 08/09 season so far.
Alex Stolz: 2 Intertoto Cup games
Surprised me when he was picked ahead of Ulreich as the number II keeper. Never really saw him as a particularly big talent and he spends all his time on the bench behind Lehmann obviously, but the two times he did play, against Ramenskoje in the Intertoto
Cup, he was solid both times.
Sven Ulreich: 18 3. Liga games (3.06)
Will have been really dissappointed to ahve gone from starting our last match of last season to being third choice. Last year, when he took Schaefer's place in the first 11, he showed he had talent(e.g. in the 1-0 home win to HSV he was man of the match) but was still way too prone to way too many errors. And now he's third choice.
But there's a bright spot: surely he's learning a lot under Lehmann, at 19 he's very young for a keeper, and he performs consistently well in the 3. Liga. Still see him as
having a brighter future than Stolz.
Defenders:
Arthur Boka: 15 BL games, 12 as starter (4.00)
5 Uefa Cup games, 3 as starter (4.17)
1 DFB Pokal game
Has been the better of our two off-form leftbacks this season. I'm not his biggest fan, he has advantages but remains too error-prone for me, and as you can see by his ratings he's had a pretty bad season so far. But, in fairness, he's been better than Magnin. Leftback has been our weakest position this season imo, but he's been able to overtake Magnin in being the regular starter there. I still hope he gets better.
Khalid Boulahrouz: 10 BL games, 8 as starter, 1 as starter (3.78)
4 Uefa Cup games, 3 as starter (4.33)
1 DFB Pokal game
Been a bit of a let down in that he could never really get going. Suffered from a lot of small injuries, and hasn't been able to unseat either Tasci or Delpierre in central defence, and a system where all three defenders could be integrated hasn't been found yet. But he has been looking better since Babbel took over (perhaps bacause he was a defender as well??) and hell, we all know what a great defender Boulah can be on his day, so I'd give him time and i'm confident he can still become a valuable asset to VfB.
Matthieu Delpierre: 13 BL games, 1 assist (3.46)
4 Uefa Cup games (3.17)
1 DFB Pokal game
A very strong defender, i've always been a huge fan of him. Hasn't been as brilliant so far as in the title season but is still almost always faultless and tough, and he performs consistently. So nothing new. Delpierre remains a rock in the side.
Marijan Kovacevic: 1 BL game, 0 as starter
16 3. Liga games(3.38)
One of the nice stories of the season: the veteran Croatian has played in the Bundesliga for numerous sides was bought 3 years ago to play in the amateur side and aid the development of our many young talents. Now after three years in the 3. Liga, he made the bench against Bremen due to many injuries and was even brought on at the end when it was clear the side would win - after three years he made his first, and probably only, match for the first team. A nice little story imo.
Ludovic Magnin: 8 BL games, 7 as starter (4.43)
5 Uefa Cup games, 4 as starter, 1 assist (4.00)
1 DFB Pokal game, 1 assist
Very bad season by Magnin so far.I always preferred him to Boka but this season he's been really awful. Hasn't had a single really good BL game. We know he can play well and we'll see if he bets himself back in the first 11 for the second half of the season, on form he's a strong player. But if he doesn't improve, assuming we'll be looking for a new leftback eventually, he may well be offloaded in the summer.
Ricardo Osorio: 11 BL games, 1 assist (3.50)
4 Uefa Cup games (3.75)
2 Pokal games (3.00)
Has come to be recognised as a consistent player who very rarely puts in amazing performances but also very rarely makes mistakes. And that's what he remains. Doesn't set the world alight at rightback, but he also never costs the team any goals or errors. Solid oldschool defender. And he's remained the regular first choice at rightback, bar some minor injuries he's had.
Marco Pischorn: 3 3. Liga games (2.50)
Tough for him so far. A lonnnnnnng injury kept him out for like 5 months. And it's never likely he'll get much time over Boulah, Delpierre and Tasci. But he's fit again now, has played very well in the 3. liga games he was in to get fit, and he should get some minutes in the second half of the season at some point or other. From what i've seen, he's a good talent, i'm quite sure he'll make it in the 1. Liga. But I don't know if that'll be with VfB.
Serdar Tasci: 16 BL games (3.31)
4 Uefa Cup games(4.00)
2 Pokal games (3.00)
Between him and Khedira for most improved player. We knew they'd both be great players when they burst out of nowhere to be key figures in the title year. Tasci
however seemed to take a step back last year, he just wasn't on form. But this year he's been excellent. Our best defender so far, probably in our top 3-4 overall players for the season so far. And he's gotten his German NT debut too. Congrats! And if he continues to develop at this rate, he'll be a top player. By BL standards, he's already a really good CB.
Christian Traesch: 5 BL games, 4 as starter, 1 goal, 1 assist (3.50)
4 Uefa Cup games, 3 as starter (4.25)
7 3. Liga games, 1 goal (3.07)
Played once last year, against Schalke, and did well. And he's backed that up so far this season. Another young talent. Came out of nowhere to score our goal of the year against Bremen and seems to have LOTS of potential as a right or leftback. He isn't an amazing player yet, and still makes some mistakes from time to time, but I think he could be compared to Andreas Beck in terms of overall talent. I never wanted Beck to leave and I think i've been proved correct by his very good performances by Hoffenheim. And so I hope we won't let Traesch leave anytime soon, and hopefully he can develop into
a very good player.
Midfielders:
Yildiray Basturk: 4 BL games, 1 as starter (4.00)
The running joke about his injuries continues: got hurt 3 days into the new season and then missed the entire Hinrunde up until the last game. With these injuries, he'll never have a strong chance of being integrated in the first 11. Who knows, maybe with a new year there'll be a new start, but it's hard to imagine Basturk suddenly becoming the player we all hoped for after 1 and a half years of almost nothing.
Elson: 7 BL games, 3 as starter, 2 assists (3.90)
3 Uefa Cup games, 2 as starter (3.17)
Came out of nowhere really and, 4 years after his last VfB game, got into the starting 11 in Veh's last days. In this sense he was one of the bright spots in a side with no bright news to talke about at all. But I wouldn't go too far: in my opinion there's a reason he didn't figure for 3 years and i'm not one who now believes he's a great player. I don't really see him having much future at the club and, while he is an alright player, I don't consider him to be anything special.
Roberto Hilbert: 14 BL games, 12 as starter, 3 goals, 1 assist (3.82)
6 Uefa games, 5 as starter, 1 goal, 1 assist (3.80)
2 Pokal games, 1 goal (4.00)
Already 5 goals in all compeitions, sounds good, but in reality it hasn't been a good season for Hilbert so far. Often poor and uncreative on the rightwing, it has been prolly
his worst half season since joining VfB in 2006. But I still see him, rather than Lanig, as our best guy on the rightwing, and he's shown some improvement under Babbel. If he gets his confidence back, he can still be an enormous asset, and I think there's a good chance this will happen in 2009.
Thomas Hitzlsperger: 16 BL games, 1 goal, 2 assists, (3.59)
6 Uefa games, 5 as starter (4.13)
2 Cup games, 4 assists (3.00)
Mixed season so far for our new captain. Started the season well, was one of our best players in the early stages, then had a horrible middle sector and even dropped out of the first team in the last matches of Veh's era, but has since gotten better again and has shown in some of the last matches of the year once again how useful he can be. On form, he's still a very valuable player to have in the first team.
Sami Khedira: 14 BL games, 11 as starter, 5 goals, 1 assist (3.13)
3 Uefa games, 1 goal, 1 assist (4.00)
1 Pokal game (3.00)
Very good season by him so far, for some reason Veh didn't start him every week though he probably should have, but whenever he's played Khedira has been almost invariably very good. Finished 2008 on a big high with some excellent performances and i'm hoping he can continue these in the new year. Again, to compare with Tasci, both were great in the title season as new boys from VfB II, then both were ok but somewhat stagnant last year, and the seem to be taking the next step this year with a great run of form. Khedira's been our best midfielder of the hinrunde.
Martin Lanig: 12 BL games, 7 as starter, 3 goals, 1 assist (3.64)
6 Uefa games, 5 as starter (3.80)
2 Pokal games, 1 goal (4.00)
He's had an unspectacular but solid first 6 months with VfB. Only started 7 games, but has played some part in the majority of matches. He's shown he's got a number of talents: heading, shooting in particular. No surprise he's already scored 4 goals for VfB. However he isn't quite creative enough in setting up attacks in my book, and als has to improve in other aspects. I don't think he's as good as Hilbert, Hitzlsperger or Khedira so it'll always be hard for him to become a regular in the first side. But he's been a solid member of the squad, and will hopefully continue to develop different aspects of his game.
Georges Mandjeck: 3 BL games, 0 as starter
1 Uefa Cup game, 0 as starter
1 Pokal game, 0 as starter
Was bought two years ago as an 18 year old hot prospect for the future. He impressed me in his loan spell at Kaiserslautern last year and has made some limited appearances for the first team this year, almost all in the dying minutes of matches. I'm not yet convinced that he will turn into a great player, but we will see. Under Babbel he has yet to play a single minute. But he's still very young and has got time on his side.
Pavel Pardo: 9 BL games, 1 goal, 1 assist (3.17)
4 Uefa Cup games, 3 as starter (3.17)
1 Pokal game
The only player (so far, at least) to leave us over this winter break. Yet his performances this season were just as solid as ever. He was consistently one of our strongest players when he was on the field. I understand his reasons for leaving though
and do believe that our midfield can continue to progress under Babbel without him. But nevertheless, he was a really toppalyer for his two and a half years at the club - thanks for that Pavel! And we should all wish him the best of luck in the final years of his career.
Sebastian Rudy: 2 BL games, 0 as starter
2 Uefa Cup games, 1 as starter, 1 assist (4.00)
1 Pokal game, 0 as starter
9 3. Liga games (2.83)
Being touted by many as the next big thing that'll come out of our youth ranks. He's played excellent in the 3. Liga, been solid the few times he's played for us, and is seen as a potential future star. Babbel even considered him as an option for the starting 11 when he took over, but unfortunately Rudy got injured right then. He should be back after Xmas, and we'll see whether he's able to challenge for a first team spot. Definitely someone to look out for.
Jan Simak: 9 BL games, 7 as starter, 2 goals, 2 assists (3.88)
1 Uefa Cup game (5.00)
1 Pokal game, 0 as starter
Not a brilliant first 6 months for him, but not bad. He started very brightly, scoring against Ramenskoje, setting up two goals in our opening match to Gladbach, but then had a little drop and suffered from some injuries. Never quite broke through under Veh but has shown some of his talent in the last few games. Great goal against Schalke is definitely the highlight of his VfB career so far, we'll see whether there'll be more of these scenes. Can't really pass a verdict on him yet and whether he was a good buy or a bad one, we'll have to see how he does in the second half of the season.
Attackers:
Cacau: 13 games, 11 as starter, 1 goal, 4 assists (3.83)
4 Uefa Cup games, 0 as starter, 1 assist (4.00)
1 Pokal game, 1 goal (2.50)
Very under-par season by him so far. Often plays alright, helps the attack, can set up others, but in front of the net, he simply hasn't been strong enough for a striker. Only 2 goals in 16 games, most of which he was a starter in, is a dissappointment. But he'll find his form again, and we all know how useful an on-form Cacau can be. However, he'll be making few first 11 appearances after winter if his confidence and goal tallies don't increase over the break.
Manuel Fischer: 1 BL game, 0 as starter
2 Pokal games, 0 as starter
7 3. Liga games, 5 as starter, 1 goal (3.42)
Major letdown so far. Has been hyped up as a big talent for a while now and then did brilliantly in the last match of last season, coming in as a sub, winning a penalty and scoring a goal and thereby securing us the Intertoto Cup spot. I thought he could challenge to become a regular starter this year. Instead, only 1 BL game, and average performances even in the third league. Definitely dissappointing. But he's obviously got the talent and hopefully he can return to progressing in 2009.
Mario Gomez: 16 BL games, 15 as starter, 7 goals, 4 assists (3.53)
6 Uefa games, 5 goals, 1 assist (2.80)
1 Pokal game, 2 goals
Lehmann's our player of this season so far, but there's no doubt that Gomez is our player of the year. Hasn't been quite as prolific so far as he was last year, I feel he isn't at his ultimate best form, but even so he has remained our star attacker for the season. It says a lot when a player scores 14 goals in 23 games and isn't considered to be at his best. He's also our top assist-man. Great striker. Next season, presumably without him, we're gonna have a tough time finding a replacement.
Danijel Ljuboja: 3 BL games, 0 as starter
1 Uefa Cup game, 0 as starter
1 Pokal game, 0 as starter
Well, I thought it was a bit of a joke when he was suddenly re-integrated in the side, but has made practically no impact, only late appearances here and there. I'd make a bet he won't score a goal this season. Well, that's what happens, his career has totally gone downhill since he ********ed up in the contract 'negotiations' with us 3 years ago.
Ciprian Marica: 13 BL games, 7 as starter, 2 goals, 1 assist (4.19)
5 Uefa Cup games, 4 as starter, 2 goals (4.25)
2 Pokal games, 1 goal, (3.50)
Still doesn't live up to anywhere close to being our record-transfer in history. 5 goals in 20 games isn't good. but these stats are somewhat misleading: he's often been marked too harsh by Kicker imo, and was only a sub in 7 of these 20 games. For me, he's shown some improvement since last season and has been our second best striker so far this year. I still think he can become a very good player, but he's not there yet and has still got a lonnng way to go in showing that he wasn't a poor purchase. Nevertheless, already more goals than in all of last season, so Marica is getting better.
Julian Schieber: 2 BL games, 0 as starter
17 3. Liga games, 14 as starter, 8 goals (3.27)
I hadn't heard of him at the start of the season but has been excellent in third league, with 8 goals already. He's apparently overtaken Fischer as our main attacking talent for the moment, and even got some late minutes in two BL games. Someone to keep an eye on.