VfB Stuttgart Thread- Winter Pause und Ruckrunde 08-09[R]

[The Old Lady Hertha]

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[Vfbstuttgartfan]

Final Group Standings:

1. Standard Liege 9pts
2. VfB Stuttgart 7 pts +3
3. Sampdoria Genoa 7 pts -1
--------------------------------
4. Sevilla 6 pts
5. Partizan Belgrade 0 pts

Who would've thought at the start that Sevilla, the top seed, would go out! Surprising result, we finish second and will get one of the ex-CL teams in the draw. Here are the possibilities:
- Bordeaux
- Werder Bremen
- Shaktar Donetsk
- Olympique Marseille
- Aalborg BK
- Fiorentina
- Dynamo Kiev
- Zenit St. Petersburg

You guys got a personal choice? I'd rather meet big names at later stages, give us Aalborg and i'll be pleased! :)

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

Also, we may need to find a sexier thread title - anyone got any suggestions?? :)

[benztown]

Great win and another great performance by Khedira. He definitely deserves the "player of the month" honor.

Next, we'll meet a team from the Champions League. That will be tough, but if we can conserve our current form, i should be doable.

In other news, Heldt said that Babbel will remain coach until the end of the season and that Stuttgart will not fight the DFB decision that he'll have to leave after that.

[Rainer24]

Aalborg is probably the one everyone wants. I doubt many side are overjoyed at the prospect of away matches in Donezk, St. Petersburg, etc.

[footyfan1]

You guys got a personal choice? I'd rather meet big names at later stages, give us Aalborg and i'll be pleased! :)

You obviously didn't see Aalborg play against Man U. or Celtic.

They are a team who will sneak up on you when you least expect it.

You should WANT one of the big names. Your team will get fired up to play them.

[benztown]

Is it possible to get drawn vs. Bremen? In that case, this would probably the easiest draw for us ;)

However, for the sake of German football, I don't want to face another German team.

Anyway, I don't want to face an eastern European team. They don't offer the same sort of prestige when you beat them, while at the same time, they're probably the most difficult opponents.

[Rainer24]

You obviously didn't see Aalborg play against Man U. or Celtic.

They are a team who will sneak up on you when you least expect it.

You should WANT one of the big names. Your team will get fired up to play them.


Aalborg is not bad, but if I recall, the Man Utd. match didn't really mean much for either side, with each having already locked up their positions, and Celtic hasn't won an away match in Europe in recent memory, so that doesn't impress as much as it might otherwise.

[frasermc]

You obviously didn't see Aalborg play against Man U. or Celtic.

They are a team who will sneak up on you when you least expect it.

i agree to an extent with what you're saying but by the same token if Vfb pay attention to our matches in particular against them then they shouldn't get sneaked up on.

the 0-0 draw in the first group match at home against them killed our campaign before it got going but we should have won comfortably that night. we missed a pen, had a good goal disallowed and missed numerous other chances. Aalborg defended in numbers and showed little appetite to get forward in the game and it worked well for them on that occasion. in the game in Denmark we were 1-0 up going on 3 and then blew it big style with the aid of some rotten luck to an extent. over the two matches i felt they were a well organised team but lacked any flair or pace up front.

Aalborg are a decent team but i'd fancy Vfb strongly if drawn against them.

[footyfan1]

Aalborg are a decent team but i'd fancy Vfb strongly if drawn against them.

Yeah, that's what Celtic thought too. :rolleyes:

[frasermc]

Yeah, that's what Celtic thought too. :rolleyes:

hmm...

why the sarcasm?

if you've seen both matches then surely you'd admit that the first match should have ended with a positive scoreline for us? replay that match another 4 or 5 times and we'd win it every time with the chances we created that night.

as for the away leg, a deflected equaliser and an o.g. that ricochets off our defender from a clearance?!?

and we don't have a striker anywhere near as good as Gomez. if Vfb drew Aalborg and treated the match correctly, and stayed clear of bad luck, then i'd back them to go through comfortably.

[footyfan1]

and we don't have a striker anywhere near as good as Gomez. if Vfb drew Aalborg and treated the match correctly, and stayed clear of bad luck, then i'd back them to go through comfortably.

That's the thing. IF they treat the match correctly.

Here's my point about Celtic.

Tell me when that draw was made you guys didn't look at it and say, "there's six points."

Tell me you didn't......

I know I would have and that's the trap I'm getting at.

[frasermc]

Tell me when that draw was made you guys didn't look at it and say, "there's six points."

for the home match for sure. for the away leg it was more like,"Please, for the love of God, give us an away win this time!!" :o



I know I would have and that's the trap I'm getting at.

and i agree with what you're saying but all i'm suggesting is Vfb, if drawn against them, would surely watch their previous European games, and hence be less likely to be caught unawares or treat them(Aalborg) too lightly.

[footyfan1]

and i agree with what you're saying but all i'm suggesting is Vfb, if drawn against them, would surely watch their previous European games, and hence be less likely to be caught unawares or treat them(Aalborg) too lightly.

Not necessarily.

[frasermc]

Not necessarily.

nothing is certain in football which is why i included the phrase 'less likely'.

[Borussia]

Congrats on going through this tough group!

My friend Roberto Hilbert seems to be back on the right track after his latest form crisis.

[Rainer24]

Congrats on going through this tough group!

My friend Roberto Hilbert seems to be back on the right track after his latest form crisis.


Yeah, an ex-Greuther boy. He took his chance very well and also set up Sami's. Not too shabby. I just wish he were a bit more consistent.

[Borussia]

What's up with Martin Lanig lately? It seems that Babbel doesn't have much faith in him...

But well, we should not forget that he played 2nd league last season ... so you can't expect him to be absolutely consistant yet (well, Roberto had been that 2 years ago, though).

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

Lanig played the full 90 minutes today, first time he started a match under Babbel. He was solid.

But I don't think he's good enough at the moment to be a permanent fixture in the first 11.

[Rainer24]

Lanig isn't consistent enough. He has a match where he looks like a guy who should definitely be starting every match, like tonight, and he'll follow it up with a match where he does nothing.