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

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

Ok, well someone closed the last thread and didn't open up a new one. :mad:

So here it is :)

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

Derby Victory Player Ratings:

Jens Lehmann: Kicker Rating: 3 (22 games played, 3.09 average rating)
My Rating: 2.5

Ricardo Osorio: KR: 4 (15 games played, 3.57 avg. rating)
MR: 3.5

Serdar Tasci: KR: 3 (21 games played, 3.36 avg. rating)
MR: 2.5

Georg Niedermaier: KR: 3 (1 game played, 3.00 avg. rating) - Solid Debut!
MR: 3

Ludovic Magnin: KR: 4 (11 games played, 11 as starter, 4.38 avg. rating)
MR: 4

Sami Khedira: KR: 2.5 (18 games played, 15 as starter, 3.06 avg. rating)
MR: 2.5

Martin Lanig: KR: 3.5 (17 games played, 11 as starter, 3.59 avg. rating)
MR: 3.5

Timo Gebhart: KR: 4 (1 game played, 4.00 avg. rating)
MR: 4.5

Elson: KR: 3 (10 games played, 4 as starter, 3.75 avg. rating)
MR: 2 - Man of the Match

Mario Gomez: KR: 4 (21 games played, 20 as starter, 3.31 avg. rating)
MR: 3.5

Ciprian Marica: KR: 2.5 - Man of the Match (18 games played, 11 as starter, 4.00 avg. rating)
MR: 2.5

SUBS:

Roberto Hilbert: KR: 4 (19 games played, 14 as starter, 3.75 avg. rating)
MR: 4

Julian Schieber: KR: No Rating (5 games played, 0 as starter, no avg. rating)
MR: 4

Thomas Hitzlsperger: KR: NR (21 games played, 20 as starter, 3.43 avg. rating)
MR: NR

[kaiser kraut]

I don't want to presume too much because it was against K** who is in relegation danger, but I'm happy to see we're using depth and getting results. I do think it is positive that we did so well on the road, even if against a relegation zone team. Our form on the road has not been very good all season until getting two big wins recently in Karlsruhe and Leverkusen. I hope that bodes well for a bit of improved form going forward.

If nothing else, we can revel in the fact that K** will not be getting any points this year from the two derby matches and cannot claim we've assisted them in escaping the drop.

[footyfan1]

Ok, well someone closed the last thread and didn't open up a new one. :mad:

So here it is :)


I nearly did, but thought one of you guys should have the honors. :D

So, here comes another meeting between our two clubs.

Last season, we had fun arguing about who should be favored. I thought you guys and you thought us! LOL!!

I think this season, there's no question you guys are the favorites. Thoughts??

[kaiser kraut]

Dortmund hasn't won since December, but they've become the masters of the low-scoring draw, so this could be a situation where they again hold the game tight. I'd like to think we'll continue to score multiple goals a game and that Dortmund will have to wait until they go to Hannover to get their first win of 09, but VfB hasn't always been consistent on defense and I'm not going to put too much stock in a shutout against Karlsruhe. I'm hopeful we'll use this weekend to get 3 points at home and continue to apply pressure on the teams ahead of us.

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

I think this season, there's no question you guys are the favorites. Thoughts??

Yeah, at home, i'd hope for us to win, anything else would disappoint me. There's still a ton of possibilities left in this season as no one is far away - but we won't be able to make any significant steps forward if we don't win matches like this.

Dortmund are a good side though and surely won't be easy to beat. In fact, you guys have won the last 3 matches in a row between us. So that's something we're going to have to turn around.

[Rainer24]

Yeah, at home, i'd hope for us to win, anything else would disappoint me. There's still a ton of possibilities left in this season as no one is far away - but we won't be able to make any significant steps forward if we don't win matches like this.

Dortmund are a good side though and surely won't be easy to beat. In fact, you guys have won the last 3 matches in a row between us. So that's something we're going to have to turn around.


The fact that we are sort of due against them is one of the only things that give me much hope. Any time I have felt optimistic season, the boys have just crapped on my hat. I'm just going to try to assume that we are going to lose every game, and then get super excited about winning if/when it does happen.

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

To be fair, Babbel's still unbeaten in 8 Bundesliga matches, so it's not all gloomy Rainer :)

Although of course we have lost 3 times in Cup competitions... Leverkusen yesterday of course showed us all how you step up to the plate and beat Bayern in the Pokal, something we failed so miserably in.

But no, i'm not sure whether to be optimistic or pessimistic about the rest of the season. When Veh was fired it already looked like we'd have little chance of making Europe. Now we aren't far off though, and the teams ahead of us are all closely bunched together. So we gotta give the side and the trainer kudos for that. Whether we actually will make he top 5 is another story completely. Anything is possible this year, fair chance of making uefa cup, tiny chance still of making champions league and fair chance of making nothing at all. So we'll just have to see. If all the players play at their best for the next few months though, we will make Europe.

But matches like the one this weekend are the kind you have to win if you want to make a top 5 finish. So, let's go win it.

By the way I wanted to post fan pics from the Derby Sieg but for the first time in 5 seasons, Lostboys were unable to provide any pictures of a competitive match because they were amongst the 100 or so VfB fans who were arrested simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. At least that's what they say, I don't know what's true.

[Rainer24]

Yeah, it's more a case of not wanting to jinx them by saying anything positive. Things have been going pretty well in the league, which makes me nervous for some reason.

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

Right, well game starts not long from now, i'm excited for this one :)

On the lineup:

Delpierre I believe still isn't fit. Niedermaier gave a positive debut against KSC so it would probably be tough to put him back on the bench, even the Boulahrouz is fit again. We shall see.

Other than that, Magnin will miss this game, so expect Traesch to start at leftback. I would prefer to have Hitz back in the first 11, I never really understood why he was dropped last week. Lanig can go on the bench, and then Elson must start. On the rightwing, it's between Gebhart and Hilbert. I'd go with Gebhart again, see if he can show his abilities today.

Marica was one of our best against KSC, so he should start alongside Gomez instead of Cacau.

All together:
---------------Lehmann
Osorio---Niedermaier--Tasci----Traesch
--------Khedira-----Hitzlsperger
Gebhart-------------------------Elson
------------Gomez---Marica


Not our strongest lineup really, but the best one available today.

We need to win matches like this to make something of this season. Let's get 3 points today boys!

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

Awesome start! :)

After less than a quarter of an hour Elson has scored again! Very nice goal.

And we almost doubled it, Gomez hitting the crossbar with an excellent header.

I'm very pleased with our start, and it's good to be ahead.

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

Hitzlsperger misses a 34985739485753989437957% chance to make it 2-0. Frustrating.

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

Ok, so we're leading 1-0 at halftime.

Well, after scoring we didn't play well for a while, the last 15 minutes of the first half we were good again though. I hope we won't be kicking ourselves for the missed chances, on a counter attack Hitz had a ball saved off the line by a defender, Gomez hit the Latte too. Our counters have generally been good, BVB seem very vulnerable to them.

Unfortunately this game is still very much alive and against a good side like Dortmund I cannot rest easy unless we score another goal. Next 45 minutes could be a real nail-biter.

Our defence has, bar a couple of moments, looked solid. Traesch has impressed me again at leftback. The bad news is Tasci has been booked and will miss our next game. So if Delpierre isn't fit, next game could see us lineup with Niedermaier and Boulahrouz in central defence. Would be a vert experimental lineup that i'm not too keen on. Nevertheless that's next week, focusing on this game: we're doing well. But we need to fight for the entire next 45 minutes and try to score a second. Niedermaier incidentally has been solid again.

The midfield has been useful in the counters, Hitz bar the missed chance has played well, he's really an asset to the side. Hilbert is playing at the rightwing, and he's had one of his better games this season. And finally Elson has been very good, besides the goal he generally plays well: good crosses, loses few balls, good passes. He may well cement the leftwing spot as his own.


Now come on, 45 minutes to 3 points!

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

I can't believe it we've hit the post again.

If Dortmund score I really won't be laughing.

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

And Dortmund score the goal they didn't deserve.

How did I see this coming?

Come on boys, we can still win this!

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

Babbel subs off Elson. I have no clue why.

Gebhart on.

EDIT: I mean Simak is on.

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

GOMEZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

SUPERSUPERSUPERMARIOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
Beautiful goal! Great set up, great finish!

We deserve this!

Now don't give it away guys, concentrate!

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

Roughly 10 minutes left - it's getting to be a real nail-biter.

I just hope we can hold on. This would be such an important win.

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

Ugly dive by Boateng I think it was. Should have been booked. Please don't mess this up guys.

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

2 minutes left...