VfB Stuttgart [FM2006] (Bundesliga M9:Frankfurt v Stuttgart)

[m_vaughan]

Preview

Wolfsburg seek revenge against Stuttgart




Wolfsburg and Stuttgart battle each other for the second time in the span of just five days. And the former will be looking for revenge, after being eliminated from the DFB Pokal by Claudio Ranieri's team in a thrilling penalty shootout on Tuesday.

Stuttgart won the shootout, which involved as many as 18 shots, 5-4. This after both goalkeepers made a total of nine saves combined. Earlier the match saw two goals in normal time, with Thomas Hitzlsperger and Juan Carlos Menseguez scoring for Stuttgart and Wolfsburg respectively.

Now the action shifts back to the Bundesliga, and Wolfsburg's Volkswagen-Arena is expected to be extremely hostile to the visiting Stuttgart team, according to their manager Claudio Ranieri.

"We are expecting a high voltage game, as their fans will be looking for revenge. It will be a good test and experience for my players, and I am confident we will pass it with flying colours. Also the pressure will be on Wolfsburg to bounce back in this game," said Ranieri.

Wolfsburg manager Holger Fach on the other hand believes his side will respond well in this game.

"Luck was not on our side on Tuesday. Shootout defeats are after all cruel, but we are now all the more eager to beat Stuttgart, and where better to do it than in front of our own fans, and that too just five days later. It will be sweet revenge," said Fach.

Stuttgart are expected to play the same team that played in the DFB Pokal game at the Gottlieb-Daimler stadion. Wolfsburg however might be without goalkeeper Simon Jentzsch who picked up an shoulder injury in that game.

Stuttgart are a point behind Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga table, but have played one game less.

 

[Left_Hander]

Good luck against Wolfsburg. Hope you come away with a win!

 

[m_vaughan]

Wolfsburg vs Stuttgart

Bundesliga Match 5
VfL Wolfsburg vs VfB Stuttgart
The Volkswagen-Arena

The Match:
Second meeting between these two sides in the gap of just five days. Stuttgart eliminating Wolfsburg from the DFB Pokal on Tuesday on penalties. But this time, the game is at Wolfsburg's own turf.

Lineups at the start of the game:

Subs:

Wolfsburg have made two changes to the team that played in Tuesday's game. Thomas Meier comes in on the right side of midfield, pushing Pablo Thiam to the centre with Levan Tskitishvilli playing at the left in place of Karsten Fischer who starts on the bench. Also Simon Jentzsch's injury means Andre Lenz is going to keep goal for the home side.

Stuttgart with their tried and tested 4-4-2 diamond formation, and have just one change from that last game, with Marcel Schuon replacing Markus Babbel, who struggled to cope with the pace of Andres D'Alessandro and Juan Carlos Menseguez.

 

[MWaugh]

its going to be very tough to defeat wolfsburg on their own turf. however you may just carry the momentum and the confidence from the penalty shoot out over. i wouldnt be suprised to see a draw in this one. hopefully it will be just as entertaining.

good to see ranieri taking the initiative and taking off babbel to match the pace of wolfsburg

 

[m_vaughan]

Reds rule in Wolfsburg

Bundesliga Match 5
VfL Wolfsburg vs VfB Stuttgart
The Volkswagen-Arena

The Match:
Second meeting between these two sides in the gap of just five days. Stuttgart eliminating Wolfsburg from the DFB Pokal on Tuesday on penalties. But this time, the game is at Wolfsburg's own turf.

Lineups at the start of the game:

Subs:

Wolfsburg have made two changes to the team that played in Tuesday's game. Thomas Meier comes in on the right side of midfield, pushing Pablo Thiam to the centre with Levan Tskitishvilli playing at the left in place of Karsten Fischer who starts on the bench. Also Simon Jentzsch's injury means Andre Lenz is going to keep goal for the home side.

Stuttgart with their tried and tested 4-4-2 diamond formation, and have just one change from that last game, with Marcel Schuon replacing Markus Babbel, who struggled to cope with the pace of Andres D'Alessandro and Juan Carlos Menseguez.

The Result:

Goals:

A fine performance by Stuttgart. Even though the final scoreline might be a bit unfair on Wolfsburg, there is no denying that Stuttgart were the better team today, after having more of the ball and shots on goal and most importantly having scored more goals. Each and every player played well today and contributed to the win. Mario Carevic's superb form continued with another breathtaking display and was well supported by the two wingers, Thomas Hitzlsperger and Jesper Gronkjaer. Both the strikers scored, and in defence Marcel Schuon especially had a very good game.

We had a slightly better first half, and took the lead through Jon Dahl Tomasson's penalty. This after Mathias Langkamp had tripped the Danish international inside the box. Then around eleven minutes later Cacau found himself in a great position to score after picking a wonderful ball from Jesper Gronkjaer, and he buried the ball into the Wolfsburg net. A wonderful start for us, and the team huddled and celebrated in front of the visiting Stuttgart fans. Levan Tskitishvilli who had had a chance earlier as well, came close once again put his shot was well wide in the end. But the homeside did score in 33rd minute through Juan Carlos Menseguez. An inch perfect pass into the box by Andres D'Alessandro, found his team-mate Menseguez, who then had no problems in putting the ball past Hildebrand and into the Stuttgart goal. The two Argentinians, who Ranieri had asked his players to watch out for, combining brilliantly and scoring that goal to get Wolfsburg back in the game. Mario Carevic then had a very good chance to make it 3-1 to Stuttgart after a nice through ball from Fernando Meira found Carevic in a lot of space, but the Wolfsburg defenders Hofland and Langkamp did well to catch up with him, and forced him to take a shot from long range which was wide.

So at half-time, Stuttgart lead the game two goals to one. Ranieri said that they must not concede this lead now, as the match is theirs for the taking. For this purpose he asked Marcel Schuon and Boris Zivkovic to stay back and mark Juan Carlos Menseguez. Fernando Meira was asked to mark Andres D'Alessandro, while Mario Carevic was told to play a bit behind in midfield, with Cacau also dropping back to a attacking midfield position, leaving Tomasson as the sole striker.

The second half was when we took total control of the game. Despite going into a more defensive approach, it was Stuttgart who scored again through another Tomasson penalty. This time Alex was the culprit after he tried to bring down Tomasson just inside the box and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Tomasson took it once again, and scored once again. 3-1 Stuttgart, as Tomasson and his team-mates banged into each other in joy. Only the visiting Stuttgart fans could be heard at this time. Tomasson however did appear to have been hurt by that challenge from Alex, and was hence replaced by Danijel Ljuboja. Timo Hildebrand then had to a make good save to prevent Andres D'Alessandro from scoring and Menseguez too had a shot from the right of the area which almost dipped into the Stuttgart goal but was punched away for a corner by Hildebrand. Mario Carevic then sealed the game in the 77th minute with a nice curling shot, after Stuttgart and hit Wolfsburg on the counter, and Andre Lenz had no chances of getting to the ball. Carevic skidded along the turf on his chest, and was soon dogpiled by the entire team. Timo Hildebrand raised his arms and celebrated in front of the other goal. Carevic had another chance in closing minutes of the game but Andre Lenz gathered the ball safely.

So a comprehensive win for Stuttgart away from home and a double blow for Wolfsburg after having been eliminated from the DFB Pokal by the same opponents last Tuesday. Has to be Stuttgart's best performance so far under Claudio Ranieri.

Marcel Schuon was rightfully named man of the match for a top class performance in the Stuttgart defence today. Once again a fine move by manager Claudio Ranieri to start him instead of Babbel.

Stats:

 

[MWaugh]

thats a wonderful performance by stuttgart. 4 goals from 7 shots on target is a great success rate. jon dahl might have been a bit upset that raneiri denied him the chance at a hat trick. maybe this is just the game stuttgart needed, the confidence will be well up now

 

[m_vaughan]

thats a wonderful performance by stuttgart. 4 goals from 7 shots on target is a great success rate. jon dahl might have been a bit upset that raneiri denied him the chance at a hat trick. maybe this is just the game stuttgart needed, the confidence will be well up now

Ranieri did not want to risk playing Tomasson on, after he appeared to have picked up a slight injury from Alex's tackle that led to the second penalty.

 

[MWaugh]

Tomasson however did appear to have been hurt by that challenge from Alex, and was hence replaced by Danijel Ljuboja.

sorry an oversight on my behalf

 

[m_vaughan]

Report

Reds rule in Wolfsburg

Tomasson celebrates the opening goal of the match

Stuttgart handed Wolfsburg a 4-1 hammering on their own turf, thanks to two penalties from Jon Dahl Tomasson, and a goal each by Cacau and Mario Carevic. Wolfsburg's only goal came from Juan Carlos Menseguez, who also scored in the tuesday's DFB Pokal second round game against the same opponents.

It was expected to be a high voltage encounter, especially after Stuttgart had knocked Wolfsburg out of the DFB Pokal during the week. The Wolfsburg fans were hence looking for revenge in this game. But they were silenced in the 9th minute when Jon Dahl Tomasson scored for the spot after being tripped by Langkamp in the area. Brazilian striker Cacau then made it 2-0 for the visitors with a close range finish in the 20th minute. Andres D'Alessandro and Juan Carlos Menseguez then combined well to pull one back for the home side.

In the second half, Tomasson was once again brought down in the box, this time by the Portuguese defender, Alex. Tomasson scored from the penalty for the second time, as Stuttgart took a crucial 3-1 lead. Wolfsburg had their work cut out now and they went all out on the attack. As a result they were caught on the counter by Thomas Hitzlspeger who volleyed the ball long to a sprinting Mario Carevic, and the Croatian curled the ball past Andre Lenz and into the goal. 4-1 to Stuttgart, and thats how it ended.

Mario Carevic hence putting in another fine performance, although he was well supported by Thomas Hitzlsperger and Jesper Gronkjaer. Jon Dahl Tomasson scored twice from the spot, after winning both the penalties himself. However the best player on the pitch was 20 year old Marcel Schuon who was rock solid at the back.

Stuttgart manager Claudio Ranieri praised his team's display after the match.

"We played really well, and dominated the match from start to finish. The players got almost everything right today. The passing and crossing was good, and the finishing even better. We were lucky to have won two penalties, but both were on valid grounds. At the back as well we were very solid. I had expected it to be very tough for our players today, but they have really made me proud with their performance," said Ranieri.

His opposite number Holger Fach also accepted that Stuttgart were the better side.

"On tuesday we were unlucky, but today we were beaten fair and square. They had more of the ball and chances, and scored more goals. We on the other hand looked lost at times, and after going 3-1 down, were always going to struggle to comeback. Congratulations to Stuttgart once again," said Fach.

Jon Dahl Tomasson who won and scored both penalties was delighted with the result.

"Everything felt good today. We were a bit disappointed at half time to have conceded that one goal, but in the end it doesnt matter. Everyone did their job well, and the defence especially I thought came good today. As far as I am concerned, it was good to score those two goals, but I hope I can score a lot more and from open play especially," said Tomasson.

 

[m_vaughan]

Gameweek 6 results

All 18 teams were in action this gameweek. Schalke saw their unbeaten streak come to an end after being beaten by N?rnberg 3-1. Hannover failed to capitalise on that though, drawing their game with Mainz 1-1. Hertha Berlin's 2-0 win over Kaiserslautern took them upto second in the table. Bayern, Hamburg and Stuttgart all moved up the table after winning their respective games.

Results:

In the relegation six pointer, Borussia M?nchengladbach registered their first win of the season, beating Duisburg 1-0. Werder Bremen finally found their form thrashing Bayer Leverkusen 4-0.

Table:

 

[MWaugh]

you have the chance to really push the top of the table if you can manage a win next up. your goals against number is still really high. letting in 2 per game

 

[m_vaughan]

Sunday (25.9.2005)


The Stuttgart players celebrated their 4-1 win over Wolfsburg in the bus while returning to Stuttgart. Manager Claudio Ranieri congratulated the players but said they have a very important game coming up, and must not lose focus.

"Well done, boys. It was a fantastic performance, and we have picked up a crucial away win. I am really pleased. But we have a very very important game coming up in the UEFA Cup, and we must not get carried away by recent results and must maintain our focus on the next game. Remember that if we lose, we are out. For this I need everyone to resume training from tomorrow itself. But dont worry we'll keep it light tomorrow," Ranieri told his players.


Monday (26.9.2005)

Ranieri had kept a light training session today, but had insisted that everyone reports for it. He did however give Jon Dahl Tomasson the day off to recover from a minor ankle injury that he picked up in the Wolfsburg game.

That Ranieri went through the match videos of some of Valerenga's game in the Norwegian league.


Tuesday (27.9.2005)

Normal training resumed from today. Players got back to their usual schedules, and Ranieri after going through the match videos of Valerenga was particularly focused on the team's defence.

"They are capable of scoring goals, so we need to shut up from the back," he said.

There was another of those match simulations between the attackers and defenders. Ranieri closely watched each and every player during training.

Later that evening, he discussed tactics and strategy with assistant manager Andreas Brehme, as well as the other coaches.

Following that they all enjoyed a cup of coffee while watching the draw for third round of the DFB Pokal.


Wednesday (28.9.2005)

Yet another day of training, wherein the tactics and strategies discussed by all the coaches were explained to the players. After this and following warm-up exercises, the players were divided into three groups, and were seperately supervised by different coaches. Ranieri kept an eye on all three groups.

After a break in the afternoon, the players trained once again, and this time at the stadium itself. Ranieri made them practice everything - penalties, direct and indirect freekicks, crosses, passes, corners, throw-ins. He also held a match between his players.

 

[Bala]

Revenge? anyone heard about revenge. This was a thrashing. I would like to see the Wolfsburg manager's reaction to this game. Great work by Ranieri's boys.

 

[m_vaughan]

Revenge? anyone heard about revenge. This was a thrashing. I would like to see the Wolfsburg manager's reaction to this game. Great work by Ranieri's boys.

You might have missed it actually. :cool:

His opposite number Holger Fach also accepted that Stuttgart were the better side.

"On tuesday we were unlucky, but today we were beaten fair and square. They had more of the ball and chances, and scored more goals. We on the other hand looked lost at times, and after going 3-1 down, were always going to struggle to comeback. Congratulations to Stuttgart once again," said Fach.

_________________________________________________________
The DFB Pokal THIRD ROUND DRAW
From Berlin, Germany



Tuesday September 27, 2005

The draw for the third round of the DFB Pokal was held on Tuesday in Berlin, Germany.

Lets have a look at all the results from the second round first. The only major shock was the 1-0 defeat of FC K?ln by first division side Karlsruher SC.

And now lets see the draw for the third round.

So the two big matches of the third round are Hertha Berlin vs VfB Stuttgart and Hamburg SV vs Borussia Dortmund. Defending champions, Bayern M?nchen take on RW Essen.

All matches will be played on the 11th of November, 2005.

So Stuttgart's next opponents in the DFB Pokal are fellow bundesliga side, Hertha Berlin. Hertha had beaten Stuttgart 4-1 in the Bundesliga earlier in the season, so this will give Claudio Ranieri's an oppurtunity to get back at them. However Hertha Berlin are in red hot form at the moment, and lie in second place in the Bundesliga table, just a point behind leaders Schalke, and with a game in hand too.

 

[m_vaughan]

Preview

Stuttgart take on Valerenga in the UEFA Cup

Thursday, 29th September 2005

Stuttgart host Valerenga in the return leg of the first round of the UEFA Cup. The first leg held at Oslo ended 2-2 in what was a thrilling game, and one which Stuttgart could have easily won. Timo Hildebrand was criticised heavily for his error that led to one of Valerenga's goals, although the German number three goalkeeper has since made up for that with two good performances against Wolfsburg in the DFB Pokal and Bundesliga. His five penalty saves in the DFB Pokal game turned to be a match winning performance for Stuttgart as they won the shoot-out taken by a total of 18 players 5-4.

Despite a draw in the first leg, Stuttgart have the massive advantage of two away goals. This means even a 0-0 or a 1-1 draw will be enough for Claudio Ranieri's team to go through to the next round. Valerenga on the other hand will have to either win or draw with three or more goals. A 2-2 result here as well will take the game in extra time or if required penalties.

Stuttgart are expected to play the same team that beat Wolfsburg 4-1 in the weekend, although there is a chance that Markus Babbel, who was man of the match from the first leg might team up with Marcel Schuon at the back, leaving Boris Zivkovic on the bench.

Stuttgart manager Claudio Ranieri is confident of beating the Norwegian side.

"The tie is evenly poised, although we do have the advantage of playing at home as well as two away goals. Besides we are in good form heading into this game, and the confidence in the dressing room is high. Valerenga are a good side no doubt, but I think we are strong enough to beat them on the night, and go through to the next round rather comfortably," said Ranieri.

Ranieri does have a rather poor record in European competition, with his only claim to fame being taking Chelsea to the semi-finals of the 2003-04 Uefa Champions League. Infact it was under him that Chelsea suffered a shock second round exit in the 2002-03 UEFA Cup at the hands of another Norwegian side, Viking SK.