CM10: Life after Mario Gomez

[m_vaughan]

December 2010 Update

Results
03/12/2010 - Bundesliga Match 15
HSV Hamburg 0-3 VfB Stuttgart
12 - Pogrebnyak
61 - Pogrebnyak
76 - Pogrebnyak
Pavel Pogrebnyak's hat-trick added more misery for bottom of the table Hamburg at the HSH Nordbank Arena. For the visitors though it was much needed win away from home but it was not until Pogrebnyak's second did they actually start playing with confidence.

08/12/2010 - Champions League Group E Match 6
PSV Eindhoven 2-0 VfB Stuttgart
56 - Toivonen
89 - Dzsudzsak
Stuttgart just needed a point from this game but were comprehensively beaten by the Dutch champions. Despite fielding a strong lineup Markus Babbel's side came second in every department and now had to depend on the other game's result to find their fate. Fortunately Valencia did do them a favour by beating Lech Poznan 1-0 at the Mestalla.

12/12/2010 - Bundesliga Match 16
Borussia M'Gladbach 0-1 VfB Stuttgart
34 - Schieber
Stuttgart were once again outplayed in this away game and had it not been for the poor finish of the Monchengladbach players coupled with fine saves from Costel Pantilimon they would have dropped even more points here. But in the end it was the 34th minute overhead kick from Julian Schieber that did the trick. Coach Babbel expressed his disappointment at the performance after the game.

17/12/2010 - Bundesliga Match 17
VfB Stuttgart 3-0 Kaiserslautern
24 - Khedira
49 - Pogrebnyak
73 - Sararer
Kaiserslautern provided a tough test for Stuttgart in this Bundesliga game at the Mercedes Benz Arena. But the more clinical finishing from the hosts saw them emerge 3-0 victors, a flattering scoreline for what was at the very least an even game.
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Bundesliga standings

Champions League standings

Player Stats

January 2011 Fixtures

Despite the unconvincing performances Stuttgart had a great month with three wins out of three in the league that took them to within two points of league leaders Bayern Munich and also qualified to the last sixteen of the Champions League where they will be facing French side Sochaux.

Goalscorer Schieber and Goalmaker Hitzlsperger congratulate each other after the Monchengladbach game.​

 

[m_vaughan]

OFFICIAL: Stuttgart sign Hamburg left back Marcell Jansen

German international Marcell Jansen has completed a ?16 million move to second placed VfB Stuttgart.

Jansen made 72 appearances for Hamburg

The 25-year old becomes the club's most expensive signing ever, costing double of their previous record of ?8 million they paid for Zdravko Kuzmanovic in the summer of 2009.

Jansen who has now established himself as regular starter for the German national side has previously played for Bayern Munich between 2007 and 2009 playing mostly as a backup to first choice left back Phillip Lahm.

Relegation threatened Hamburg released an official statement on their website this morning stating: "Hamburger SV have accepted VfB Stuttgart's offer of ?16 million for left back Marcell Jansen.

"We thank Marcell for his services to the club and the first team for the past two and half seasons and wish him well for the future."

Stuttgart boss Markus Babbel hailed the signing as an indication of club's determination to compete with Bayern Munich and the other stronger sides in the Champions League.

"We are pleased to have signed him and it basically shows our intent in having a squad that strong enough to compete with Bayern Munich and the big boys of Europe," said Babbel.

He also justified the price tag by saying to buy the best players you need to spend good money.

Jansen will undergo a medical today and is expected to join up with his new team-mates tomorrow for training. Since Hamburg were not involved in Europe this season, Jansen will also become eligible to play in the Champions League which resumes in February.

 

[shantanu_rooney]

Thats a great signing of Marcell Jansen. I have always held him high but was very poor at Bayern Munich and good at Hamburg. Hopefully he is more better at Stuttgart. Nice to see you qualify for the knockout stages of Champions League and well placed in the Bundesliga.

 

[m_vaughan]

January 2011 Update

Results
15/01/2011 - Bundesliga Match 18
VfB Stuttgart 0-0 Hannover 96
Hannover came to the Mercedes Benz Arena looking for a draw and thats exactly what they got. The back four stood firm to hold back the Stuttgart attacks while goalkeeper Florian Fromlowitz made two fantastic saves. Stuttgart will still be kicking themselves for not making the most of the few chances they were able to create during the game.

22/01/2011 - Bundesliga Match 19
Hertha Berlin 0-3 VfB Stuttgart
16 - Khedira
37 - Sararer
90 - Sararer
A top class performance from Stuttgart winger Sercan Sararer ensured a comfortable win for the Swabians away to Hertha Berlin. With Bayern Munich losing to Schalke on Saturday, Markus Babbel's side were now within a point of the champions.

25/01/2011 - DFB Pokal Round of 16
VfB Stuttgart 1-2 Hertha Berlin
40 - Schieber
43 - Raffael
74 - Hunt
The two sides met again in a matter of three days and Stuttgart, playing without some of their first team lads were beaten and knocked out of the competition they won last season. After Raffael's header had drawn the scores level, Aaron Hunt's second half scorcher took the visitors through to the quarter finals.

29/01/2011 - Bundesliga Match 20
VfB Stuttgart 1-0 Borussia Dortmund
12 - Hilbert
Roberto Hilbert's early goal was the difference in this even game of football. The hosts keeping up the chase on leaders Bayern ahead of next month's top of the table showdown.
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Bundesliga standings

Player Stats

February 2011 Fixtures

Marcell Jansen has a had a good start to his Stuttgart career with a rating of 8 in each of his three games so far. Ludovic Magnin played in his place in the DFB Pokal defeat against Hertha Berlin. Stuttgart also confirmed Barcelona's interest in Sercan Sararer but had rejected their two bids made during the month. Rumours suggest the catalan outfit are almost certain to nail the deal for the summer window.

Aaron Hunt's goal knocks defending champions VfB Stuttgart out of the DFB Pokal​

 

[m_vaughan]

Van Gaal plays down Stuttgart clash

Louis Van Gaal does not believe this weekend's top of the table showdown between his Bayern Munich side and VfB Stuttgart will decide this season's title.

Speaking to some press reporters after training on Wednesday, the 59-year old said, "It is an important game and can give the winning side a good boost but there are still a lot of games remaining this season, so I do not believe this will have much impact on the title race.

"We are approaching the game as any other, looking for the win and the three points that come with it."

The Dutchman also confirmed that his key duo of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Arjen Robben will not be making the trip to the Mercedes Benz Arena.

"With Robben there was never a chance, and Bastian too has not recovered sufficiently to be considered. They are both important players but they need to rest and recuperate now. We have other good players who can step in and do well, I am certain."

 

[m_vaughan]

VfB Stuttgart - Bayern Munich : MATCH PREVIEW

Franck Ribery won the game for Bayern in this season's reverse fixture

This Friday sees the top two teams in the Bundesliga lock horns in a game that could go a long way in determining this season's champions.

Only one point seperates Louis Van Gaal's Bayern Munich from Markus Babbel's VfB Stuttgart, with the third placed side, Schalke, a further twelve points off the pace.

Bayern who comfortably won the title last season seemed to be on the way of repeating that feat at the start of the seasons but recent defeats combined by the unrelentless pursuit from VfB Stuttgart have suddenly turned this season's title race into a two horse one.

However a win here would once again open up a four point gap between the two sides but a defeat would see the Swabians take over top spot in the standings, something that no one would have imagined a couple of months back.

The defending champions and league leaders won the reverse fixture this season at the Allianz Arena with Franck Ribery's strike proving to be the difference between the two sides then. However the Frenchman will be without two of his key team-mates for this game, with Arjen Robben (fractured skull) and Bastian Schweinsteiger (thigh strain) both being sidelined along with Hamit Altintop (toe).

The hosts on the other hand have a full strength squad to choose from with Serdar Tasci passed fit by the club medical team in time for this game. It is to be seen though if the defender does get to start.

 

[surendar]

This thread has been stickied as we are not having SOTM in this category. This thread has been nominated by me because, the efforts in this thread despite this having only 80 odd posts, it clearly deserves triple the amount of posts as feedbacks.

The efforts & self motivation which Sid has maintained in this clearly deserves, Hats Off. :hpraise

 

[shantanu_rooney]

Rightly said Suren bhai. Sid deserves more post than what he has got. Its really nice to see this thread get stickied. Congo sid..:banana2

 

[m_vaughan]

VfB Stuttgart 0-0 Bayern Munich: Top of the table clash ends in a stalemate

The highly anticipated showdown between the Bundesliga's leading two sides had an anti-climatic end with neither able to find the back of the net.

The title race is now expected to go down the wire as neither side were able to gain an advantage from this game.

The game started at a high tempo, with the hosts pressing the Bayern midfield at every opportunity. This lead to a number of misplaced passes by the likes of Anatoliy Tymoschuk and Mark van Bommel, but good defending by the Bavarian backline prevented Stuttgart from taking advantage of any of these errors.

Stuttgart broke through on goal in the twelfth minute, the ball came forward from the back and Pavel Pogrebnyak flicked the ball to Sami Khedira, who charged down the right flank. Pogrebnyak continued his run, with Andreas Gorlitz desperately trying to catch up to the breaking Russian. Khedira slipped his teammate into the penalty area for a one-on-one with Boaz Myhill, but Pogrebnyak surprisingly hit his first-time shot straight at the Bayern keeper.

Moments later Pogrebnyak and Khedira combined again to create a chance in the penalty area, the German knocked the ball beyond Daniel van Buyten who came in with a clumsy challenge. Referee Michael Weiner waved away claims for a penalty and gave a goal kick to Bayern.

Bayern, who lost Miroslav Klose to injury, absorbed the Stuttgart pressure for the first half an hour and began to come forward with more purpose themselves. Franck Ribery engineered an opportunity for himself and he turned cutely just inside the Stuttgart half and ran towards goal. The Frenchman took aim from 25 yards but sent his shot wide of the left-hand post.

The visitors started the second half brightly creating two chances minutes into it. Andreas Gorlitz floated a lovely cross into the box from right towards Mario Gomez, but the German striker couldn't quite get enough onto his header and missed the target. Mark van Bommel had a shot from the left as he entered the penalty area but it didn't trouble Costel Pantilimon in the Stuttgart goal.

Markus Babbel responded to the increasing Bayern pressure by withdrawing Zdravko Kuzmanovic, who had enjoyed an excellent game, and replacing him with Peter Niemeyer. Stuttgart pressed forward looking for the opening goal, and Louis van Gaal decided to make a substitution, replacing Ismail Koybasi with Martin Demichelis.

Bayern looked increasingly dangerous on the counter attack and more confident in possession as the half drew on. Heiko Westermann playing from the right, turned his marker to create space and played the ball infield to Luca Toni. The Italian advanced towards the Stuttgart goal and looked to have been closed out by a clutch of defenders, but he managed to launch a powerful strike towards Pantilimon that the Stuttgart keeper caught comfortably.

The Swabians disappointed in the closing stages, and failed to hit the target in the entire second half. Bayern held firm in the final minutes and took a crucial point that maintains their grip on the top spot of the Bundesliga standings.

 

[iridescentt]

Goal.com!? Argh, their inconsistencies and false reports, it burns my eyes! :laugh

Never really posted in this topic but I've always been waiting for your updates. Keep it up mate.

 

[m_vaughan]

February 2011 Update

Results
04/02/2011 - Bundesliga Match 21
VfB Stuttgart 0-0 Bayern Munich
The highly anticipated top of the table clash ended in a stalemate as neither side was able to find the back of the net. VfB started the better but Bayern had things under control later on. The visitors hold on to top spot as a result.

12/02/2011 - Bundesliga Match 22
VfL Wolfsburg 1-0 VfB Stuttgart
7 - Misimovic
After drawing league leaders and defending champions Bayern Munich, VfB Stuttgart suffered a 1-0 defeat against inform VfL Wolfsburg. Armin Veh's side took an early lead through Zvjezdan Misimovic and then held on to it to take the three points. With Bayern winning, Stuttgart were now 4 points behind them while Wolfsburg moved to 4th in the standings.

19/02/2011 - Bundesliga Match 23
VfB Stuttgart 2-0 Nurnberg
27 - Sararer
44 - Pogrebnyak
A clinical performance from Stuttgart saw them register a victory over struggling Nurnberg. Having failed to score in the previous two games, the hosts opened through Sercan Sararer before Pavel Pogrebnyak doubled just before half time. More chances fell in the second half but Markus Babbel's men had to be content with a 2-0 win. There was more good news though as Bayern Munich were stunned 0-2 at home by Bayer Leverkusen.

23/02/2011 - Champions League Round of 16 1st Leg
VfB Stuttgart 2-0 FC Sochaux
12 - Khedira
31 - Sararer
VfB took a big step towards the quarterfinals with a 2-0 win at home in the first leg of their first knockout round clash against French side Sochaux. Both goals came early in the opening half hour of play which knocked the stuffing out of Sochaux. Despite an improved showing in the second half, the French side failed to find a way back into the game.
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26/02/2011 - Bundesliga Match 24
FC Koln 0-0 VfB Stuttgart
Koln put up a strong and resilient performance at home against high flying Stuttgart to earn a crucial point. The visitors had a fiery start and had a Julian Schieber goal disallowed for offside before Timo Gebhart struck the post. More chances arrived in the second half as Ludovic Magnin's header was just about kept out by Koln keeper Jonathan Sargeant.

Bundesliga standings

Player Stats

March 2011 Fixtures

Despite dropping 7 points out of 12 in the league, VfB finished level on points with Bayern Munich in the standings at the end of the month. They are also well set in the Champions League and will need a mini-miracle from Sochaux to deny them a spot in the last eight. Barcelona target Sercan Sararer who scored twice this month is rumoured to have offered a new deal by VfB while out of favour full back Arthur Boka has openly expressed his desire to leave the club.

Khedira and Co celebrate the opening goal against FC Sochaux​

 

[shantanu_rooney]

Not that great February, winning 2 drawing 2 and losing 1. But the best thing is that you are on level with points at the top of the table with Bayern. And like last season Pogrebnyak is in top form.

Nice to see you almost book your place in the quarter of Champions League.

 

[m_vaughan]

Sararer signs contract extension

VfB Stuttgart are pleased to announce that attacking midfielder, Sercan Sararer, has renewed his contract with the club by a further two years which will see him stay till the 1st of July, 2015.

Sercan arrived this summer from second divison side, SpVgg Greuther Furth for a fee of ?1.2 million and had initially signed a three year deal. However following his impressive performances on the pitch which has seen him become one of the key members of the first squad, the club decided to offer him a longer deal, which the player readily accepted.

Sercan Sararer: "I have enjoyed my first season here and feel a connection already with this great club. The club given me a great opportunity and its only wise for me to repay them with a long term commitment."

Markus Babbel: "We are very happy to have him sign this extension. Both the club and the player are on the rise can help each other in the process. His performances so far have been excellent for someone in his first season at such a young age."

Horst Heldt: "Sercan is part of our long term plans. We rejected bids for him in January for the same reason. More importantly the player is very keen to continue playing for us and was very happy to sign the extension just eight months into his contract."

 

[m_vaughan]

March 2011 Update 1

Results
05/03/2011 - Bundesliga Match 25
VfB Stuttgart 1-1 SC Freiburg
2 - Toprak
10 - Kuzmanovic
Omar Torprak's header stunned the hosts early on but they were able to comeback soon enough through Zdravko Kuzmanovic. However the hosts failed to find the winner despite having 62% of the ball possession and a total of 14 shots on target. As a result the Swabians were now two points behind Bayern in the standings who won their game.

12/03/2011 - Bundesliga Match 26
MSV Duisburg 1-2 VfB Stuttgart
8 - Franca
37 - Gebhart
82 - Sararer
Stuttgart were once again shocked by an early goal, this time Franca scoring from the penalty spot after he had been brought down by Marek Suchy. They however not only found the equaliser this time (Timo Gebhart's long range strike) but also the winner (Sercan Sararer's cheeky chip).

16/03/2011 - Champions League Round of 16 2nd Leg
FC Sochaux 2-1 VfB Stuttgart
22 - Witsel
33 - Kuzmanovic
90 - Davies
Stuttgart brought in a healthy 2-0 lead from the first leg but were left nervous when Sochaux's Belgian winger Axel Witsel opened the scoring. However Zdravko Kuzmanovic's 33rd minute equaliser eased the tensions as the visitors took control of the game knowing that the hosts needed to score three more now to win the tie. Charlie Davies' injury time strike did win the French side the game on the night but it was the Germans who progressed to the quarterfinals.​

 

[shantanu_rooney]

Mixed month for Stuttgart. 1 win, 1 draw and 1 defeat. Well surely April and May are going to be way crucial for the title race. Nice to see you qualifying for the quarter finals of the Champions League..