VfB Stuttgart - Pushing for Europe, 08/09 Season Thread Part III (R)

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

2-0. 2 amazing goals. What can you do?

[Rainer24]

3-0. I had a feeling we were going to get smoked in this one. Bremen has been underachieving most of the season. Seems like they have started to get their act together in the last two weeks. Just the wrong time to have to travel up to their place for a game. I also haven't really seen the evidence that we have been playing all that well. The results in the league have been pretty good, but this outcome doesn't really surprise me at all. I'm not trying to be a downer, but I don't have that disgusted feeling that I usually get when I go into a game expecting a good result.

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

4-0 now. Funny part is we haven't really been worse than them. But credit to Bremen, their finishing has been absolutely superb.

So there goes the winning streak, and to be honest I expected to lose today. It's not crisis, if we can get back on our feet and beat Hertha next week, all is good again.

[Rainer24]

4-0 now. Funny part is we haven't really been worse than them. But credit to Bremen, their finishing has been absolutely superb.

So there goes the winning streak, and to be honest I expected to lose today. It's not crisis, if we can get back on our feet and beat Hertha next week, all is good again.



Yeah, pretty much my feelings on it. All good things must come to an end, and you could kind of see this as a bogey game on the schedule, especially with the injury problems in defense now.

[footyfan1]

Agree with Vfbstuttgartfan and Rainer24. Just like the Bayern Cup match, forget about it and move on to the next match.

The streak had to end sometime. Start a new one against Hertha. :cool:

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

Yeah didn't comment too much on the game yesterday and also really won't comment much now. The score speaks for itself, Bremen totally took advantage of our defensive weaknesses and did really well. They scored every big chance they got (Pizarro's great strike couldn't even be considered a big chance) and did very well. Yesterday showed why it is so strange that Bremen are so far down the table. Next year they will be back in the top third, i'm pretty sure.

Kudos to them.

I actually don't think our side played THAT bad to be honest. No one was very good, but I can't point to any single player as being especially shit. We did what we could, had some half-chances, and at times were the better side. But Bremen really just did things better, and on days like this, I can't complain.

Big issue is it really hurts our already mediocre goals for/against record, but whatever. I think we can bounce back next week.

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

Player Ratings:

Jens Lehmann: Kicker Rating: 3.5 - Our Best (24 games played, 3.10 avg. rating)
My Rating: 4.5

Christian Traesch: KR: 4 (9 games played, 7 as starter, 3.64 avg. rating)
MR: 4.5

Khalid Boulahrouz: KR: 4.5 (14 games played, 11 as starter, 3.88 avg. rating)
MR: 4

Ricardo Osorio: KR: 5 (17 games played, 3.65 avg. rating)
MR: 5.5

Arthur Boka: KR: 4 (17 games played, 14 as starter, 4.00 avg. rating)
MR: 4.5

Sami Khedira: KR: 4 (20 games played, 17 as starter, 3.17 avg. rating)
MR: 4.5

Thomas Hitzlsperger: KR: 4.5 (23 games played, 22 as starter, 3.50 avg. rating)
MR: 4.5

Roberto Hilbert: KR: 4.5 (21 games played, 16 as starter, 3.78 avg. rating)
MR: 3.5 - Our Best, for 45 minutes at least...

Elson: KR: 5 (12 games played, 6 as starter, 3.88 avg. rating)
MR: 4.5

Ciprian Marica: KR: 4.5 (20 games played, 13 as starter, 4.11 avg. rating)
MR: 4.5

Mario Gomez: KR: 5 (23 games played, 22 as starter, 3.35 avg. rating)
MR: 4

SUBS:

Martin Lanig: KR: 5 (18 games played, 11 as starter, 3.71 avg. rating)
MR: 3.5

Timo Gebhart: KR: 4 (2 games played, 1 as starter, 4.00 avg. rating)
MR: 3.5

Julian Schieber: KR: No Rating (6 games played, 0 as starter, no avg. rating)
MR: 4

[Borussia]

Well, it was clear that Markus Babbel would eventually suffer his first defeat ... and it's really no shame to lose in Bremen (Werder apparently wanted to take revenge for the 1:4 defeat in Stuttgart and was keen on finally winning the first game after the winter break), is it? ;)

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

Yeah, I can accept the loss. Points would have been nice, but you can't get mad the side going to Bremen, trying their best, but ending up on an off-day and losing to one of Germany's most talented sides.

Next week however I will feel let down if we can't get the 3 points. We shall see.

[Equilibrium]

I'm pretty sure it will end Gomez missing an open net only for 2 minutes later a ball is deflected between 6 players and falls into Voronin's feet for him to score and win 2-1 5 minutes before time..

Anyways, I hope you win. You wait on the counters though so I'm not sure how you will dictate the game per se. Good luck, I'd rather any of the top 6 teams win the league if Bayern doesn't bar Wolf and Hertha.

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

Good news for us ahead of the Hertha match on the weekend:

Following an investigation into possible vandalism, Patrick Ebert has been suspended from the Hertha squad for this game. I'm a fan of us and think he's a very good winger, it'll definitely help us out that he doesn't play.

And, to start a rumor mill: if the relationship between Ebert and Hertha were to sour unreparably over the coming weeks as a result of this accusation, may I just quickly note that Ebert would be in my opinion exactly the type of calibre winger that could really make use of next season. So keep an eye out on these developments, Heldt ;)

[footyfan1]

Good news for us ahead of the Hertha match on the weekend:

Following an investigation into possible vandalism, Patrick Ebert has been suspended from the Hertha squad for this game. I'm a fan of us and think he's a very good winger, it'll definitely help us out that he doesn't play.

And, to start a rumor mill: if the relationship between Ebert and Hertha were to sour unreparably over the coming weeks as a result of this accusation, may I just quickly note that Ebert would be in my opinion exactly the type of calibre winger that could really make use of next season. So keep an eye out on these developments, Heldt ;)


As you might suspect, since Kevin-Prince Boateng has also been accused in this incident, I've been following this as closely as I can.

I think Ebert was suspended more because he admitted to being out partying at 3AM than the alleged incident itself.

Both players have strongly denied the accusations and both have hired lawyers.

[ekartash]

i am thinking of attending the stuttgart-hamburg match on april 12th. what is the atmosphere like for stuttgart games? will the game be sold out?

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

Stuttgart-Hamburg might sell out, it's a pretty big game. If you're sure you wanna go you should probably try to get tickets early.

Anyway.

MASSIVE game today. Hertha at home, the leader at home. We slipped up big time last week and got mauled. That's okay, after our good run I can accept that. But we really need to get the points today if we are to challenge for the top 3-5 spots, we are already trailing 3 points behind fifth place and that gap MUST not increase. So we have to win this. And I think we can. Hertha have fought their way up to being 4 points clear at the top, but if we play to our best we will beat them. I sure hope we do.

In defence, Delpierre and Magnin are fit again now. And Tasci is no longer suspended. So I would move Delpierre and Tasci straight back into central defence, we concede too many goals every time Boulahrouz plays so now the others are fit I want them to start immediately. Osorio can move back to rightback. Then, question over who to start at LB. Boka made a very quick recovery and played the full 90 minutes last week, and now Magnin is fit again. But i'd actually rather see Traesch start than either of those two, which has never happened before when either of them were fit. He has often been less error-prone than either of them.

In midfield, little doubt over Hitz but I think he can play. Question over whot o play on the wings. Gebhart was decent after replacing Hilbert last week but i'd keep Hilbert as our starter. Elson was bad, but should we replace him with anybody? Lanig and Simak are options. Out of those two i'd prefer to see Lanig start.

And in attack i'd still go with Marica rather than Cacau.

So, my lineup:
------------------Lehmann
Osorio------Delpierre----Tasci------Traesch
------------Khedira----Hitzlsperger
Hilbert--------------------------------Lanig
------------Gomez-----Marica

[LoewenBoy]

So, my lineup:
------------------Lehmann
Osorio------Delpierre----Tasci------Traesch
------------Khedira----Hitzlsperger
Hilbert--------------------------------Lanig
------------Gomez-----Marica
Nice to see 1860 can help so many BL teams field a decent side.:D I hear both Traesh AND Gebhart are starting against HSC.

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

Yup they are :)

Traesch surprisingly at rightback and Osorio has been benched. Magnin is playing on the left. And Gebhart starts at leftwing - we haven't seen him play there yet but he's been very active so far.

Whole side playing well in the first 20 minutes, we're controlling the game, Gomez has come close a couple of times. We're the better sie so far, but against this season's hertha that means nothing - they've specialised in playing badly and winning points. So I hope we can score, because as long as we are not in the lead the game's pace means nothing.

Now Cacau has scored but it's ruled offside. Well, he was 3 metres offside. Had he left the ball to Hilbert we could have scored and it would've been legit.

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

Hertha's supposed disaster Kaka is on early for an injured Arne Friedrich. I hope this guy is as bad as TOLH says he is.

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

Halftime.

0-0 going into the break. Can't say i'm satisfied with that, we have been the much better side and have been controlling the game. But haven't been able to score. Hertha play as if they've come here with the sole purpose of grinding out a draw.

Unfortunately we know that this Hertha can score out of nowhere at any time. So i'm mad that we aren't ahead. We really need to find a way to score and win this game. But it won't be easy.

Nevertheless it's been a good game by our side so far, hopefully they get the goal they deserve.

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

CACAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!

1-0!!!

Fullly deserved baby!

[THOMA GOL]

May the beatdown commence!! Keep it going, Canstatters!!