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

Who will win the Bundesliga this season?

  • Vfb Stuttgart

    Votes: 6 40.0%
  • Bayern Munchen

    Votes: 7 46.7%
  • Schalke

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Werder Bremen

    Votes: 2 13.3%
  • Hertha Berlin

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Other

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    15
Brilliant win over one of the title contenders! Stuttgart might just show that they have what it takes to win the Bundesliga title with the Tinkerman at the helm.
 
great start by stuttgart. you dominated them quite easily in all areas except for, as you said, the crosses. they also pipped you in the possession. which may hurt in further games. i second sids comments. and add: sid your signature is mad mate. i love le tour.
 
MWaugh said:
great start by stuttgart. you dominated them quite easily in all areas except for, as you said, the crosses. they also pipped you in the possession. which may hurt in further games. i second sids comments. and add: sid your signature is mad mate. i love le tour.
Sorry about that but I had by mistake posted the stats from a previous game (v Holstein Kiel). I've corrected that now, and we had a better share of possession, 52 vs 48.

But yeah we were behind the crosses completion department, and hence that comment was made by Andreas Brehme. I have increased priority on crosses and corners.

Bala said:
Brilliant win over one of the title contenders! Stuttgart might just show that they have what it takes to win the Bundesliga title with the Tinkerman at the helm.

They are a good side, but I wouldnt call them title contenders. Munich, Schalke and Bremen are all better. They are much like us actually. They do have a few quality players.

sid_19840 said:
Good start.Its good to see you giving some of your players a chance.Excellent presentation,nice image hunting to get all those pics.

Thanks mate. Although this is pretty much Claudio Ranieri's first choice team, at this point of time. He did give the likes of Gonzalez, Gentner and Khedira a chance to play in the first two friendlies. You would expect Jesper Gronkjaer to be considered as well once he has sufficient match fitness playing in the reserves team.

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Cacau goal knocks Leverkusen out

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Cacau celebrates the only goal of the game

Stuttgart's Brazilian striker, Cacau, scored the only goal of the DFB Liga-Pokal quarterfinal match against Leverkusen, to set-up a semi-final clash with FC Schalke.

Cacau made a nice run in from the right and attempted to find Jon Dahl Tomasson with his pass, only for it to bounce off fellow Brazilian and Leverkusen defender, Juan. The ball however came right back in front of his path, and he cooly slotted the ball into the net.

Claudio Ranieri's side were clearly the better team, with more shots on goal, greater share of the ball possesion, and better passage play. Leverkusen on the other hand were very clumsy and made some really poor challenges, ending up with seven yellow cards. Leverkusen manager Klaus Augentheler will also be under a lot of pressure from the press and fans, for not playing star striker Andriy Voronin.

VfB Stuttgart Manager, Claudio Ranieri hailed his team's performance by calling it supreme.

"We played like a team today, and I am extremely pleased with my players. We dominated from start to finish and never really let them (Leverkusen) into the game. We should have won by a greater margin, but as long as you get the result, its fine." said the 53 year old Italian.

Klaus Augentheler, however, believed that Stuttgart won because of a lucky goal.

"Fortunately for them the ball rebounded of our defender Juan, and came straight in front of Cacau. On most days it would have gone out for a corner or would have been collected by the goalkeeper." said Augentheler.

Stuttgart will now face the beaten finalists of last season's DFB Pokal (German Cup), FC Schalke. And they will meet a rather familiar face there, Kevin Kuranyi who used to play for Stuttgart, is now a Schalke player.
 
Preparing for the semi-final and a prospective signing

Well there is just a two day break between the quarterfinal and the semi, so after giving the players a break on Sunday, Ranieri had an extended and extensive training session planned for today. (Monday)

Both Ranieri and Brehme have realised that more work needs to be done on the crosses, as there are too many of them being created, and very few being acknowledged. Also a greater emphasis was put on corners, and the players were made to practice heavily.

The defenders were once again made to work hard, and had to take part in additional sprints. This was done, because Ranieri wanted his defence to keep pace with opposition attackers, and also to be able to sprint back after having taken corners or free kicks in the opposition half.

Some of the scouts (who had been instructed by Ranieri to look out for defenders who can be bought for cheap and wont have to paid high wages), then had a discussion with him. Just one of them, Bernd Martin, seemed very confident with his finding.

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Jens Harter
Current Club: Stuttgarter Kickers
Value: ?45,000 (Although Bernd believes he can be bought for cheaper)

Ranieri wasnt looking at players for the first team, but for the reserves. He was also interested in current reserves player Andreas Beck (who has played for the first team last season), and was actually looking at someone to replace Beck in the reserves team. He wanted someone young, but not less than 21.

Ranieri asked Bernd to get Jens Harter to the training ground on Thursday for a trial, and that he and Assistant manager Brehme would make a decision after watching him.

"Thank you Bernd for doing this. If this works out, then I shall be much grateful to you." said Ranieri.

"Its my job, F?hrer (Sir)." replied Bernd.

Upcoming fixture:
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Semi-final Preview and Press Conference

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Schalke and Stuttgart battle for final spot

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Kevin Kuranyi has the chance to score against his former club

Schalke welcome Stuttgart to the VeltinsArena in Gelsenkirchen for the 1st semi final of the 2006 DFB Liga Pokal (German League Cup). Schalke had won an automatic entry into the semi-final stage after making it to the final of the German Cup last season, losing to Bayern Muchen. But Bayern also went on to win the Bundesliga, which meant Schalke would directly enter this tournament in the semi-finals.

Stuttgart on the other hand had to beat Leverkusen 1-0 in the quarterfinal stage to qualify. A twenty-third minute goal from Brazilian striker Cacau was enough for Claudio Ranieri's side.

Schalke come out victors at the VeltinsArena in last season's Bundesliga encounter, winning 3-2. And Kevin Kuranyi who now plays for Schalke, was wearing a Stuttgart jersey in that match. His decision to join Schalke in the summer was not received well by both the Stuttgart management and fans. Kuranyi even went on to criticise the fans for jeering the club after they missed out on Champions League qualification.

Both teams have strong strikeforces and mediocre defences, which means we could be in for an absolute goalfeast. Schalke captain Ebbe Sand will be retiring at the end of this season.

Schalke are tipped as slight favourites over Stuttgart to win this game.

Official Press Conference:

The following are extracts from VfB Stuttgart's press conference ahead of the semi-final clash against Schalke.

Claudio Ranieri, Coach

When asked about his defensive worries.

"Well very few teams can have defences like AC Milan, Chelsea and Roma, but I have been working hard with my players and making sure that they give their 100% percent. We've sorted out certain grey areas, and I am a lot more confident now."

When asked about the interest in Materrazi. (Remember the inside information is highly confidential)

"We did bid for him, as I wanted to have atleast one more defender here. But apparently Inter Milan have refused to listen to our offers."

When asked about playing Gerber in centre of defence.

"Well like I said we've been working out various things at training, and one of my experimations is with the defence lineup. I am trying to get the best out of the players. I think Gerber can do a good job in the middle, as both him and Ludovic Magnin are doing a decent job."

Cacau, Striker

When asked about his recent rich vein in form.

"I've had two good games, which is a good start but it is important for me to remain focused and carry on this form into this game, this tournament and then to the Bundesliga."

When asked about that lucky goal against Leverkusen which sent Stuttgart through to the semis.

"I dont understand. I thought we were unlucky not to have won 2-0 or 3-0, and besides luck is an integral part of football. We played well the other night and deserved to win. Now we are just focusing on tonight's game."

Timo Hildebrand, Goalkeeper

When asked about his views on this tournament.

"It is an important tournament, and it is at the right time to get prepared for the Bundesliga season. We always take every competitive game seriously, and we will try what it takes to win tonight and win this tournament."
 
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DFB Liga-Pokal - 1st Semi-final
FC Schalke vs VfB Stuttgart
VeltinsArena, Gelsenkirchen

The Match:
Claudio Ranieri's previous and only visit to Gelsenkirchen was during his last season as manager of Chelsea. Chelsea beat Besiktas in that game, and went on to the reach the semi-finals of that competition.

Now he returns there as the manager of VfB Stuttgart for the semi-final of the Liga-Pokal, against the home club FC Schalke.

Schalke will be playing their first competitive match of the new season, and come in with two wins and two draws in their pre-season friendlies. Stuttgart have a 100% record under Ranieri so far, having won both their friendlies and also the win over Leverkusen in the quarter-final.

Here are how the teams lined up:
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Subs:
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Ranieri sticking to his 4-3-1-2 formation but starts Serbian midfielder Danjiel Ljbujoa instead of the Croatian Mario Carevic. No other changes to the side that beat Leverkusen 1-0 in Munich. No sign of Jesper Gronkjaer yet.

Ralf Rangnick on the other hand sticks with the 4-4-2 formation. German duo of Kevin Kuranyi and Gerald Asamoah start upfront which relegates club captain Ebbe Sand to the bench. Leven Kobiashvili and Brazilian Lincoln start on either flank.

The Result:
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So no goals scored in 90 minutes of football, and as per the rules of this tournament, we head straight to penalties.

Penalty Shootout:
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Claudio Ranieri's team go out of the tournament on penalties. Timo Hildebrand did make one crucial save off Lincoln to keep his team in the shootout, after Hinkel had missed earlier. But Stuttgart were always under pressure to equalise once Schalke scored. Finally it was Magnin's shot which was saved by Rost, and Schalke won 6-5 on penalties.

Overall, Schalke were indeed the better team, and they enjoyed tremendous home support. Kevin Kuranyi had some chances to score himself against his old club. The Brazilian Lincoln had a fantastic game playing on the right flank for Schalke, but both teams despite boasting some great attacking options failed to find the back of the net. For Stuttgart, Tomasson, Ljuboja and Cacau all came close. Tomasson was injured and substituted in the second half, and we will have to wait and see the nature of his injury.

Stats:
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Schalke move on to the final where they'll face the winner of the other semi-final between Bayern M?nchen and Hertha Berlin, while Stuttgart now will play one more friendly game, against neighbours Karlsruhe, before the Bundesliga season starts.
 
Unlucky to go out on penalties! But Hildebrand has had a great game. Stuttgart had just a third of the total shots that Schalke had. This would prove costly when they are against teams like Bayern Munich.
 
Agreed. Even though most of their 15 shots were off-target, they did have a better game overall, like I mentioned in the Match Report.
 
I agree with Bala here,seems like Stuttgart deserved the win in this match,but penalties haunted them in the end.I would be pretty happy with my team if I was manager.Excellent stuff btw. :)
 
sid_19840 said:
I agree with Bala here,seems like Stuttgart deserved the win in this match,but penalties haunted them in the end.I would be pretty happy with my team if I was manager.Excellent stuff btw. :)
We did have a better second half I thought, but overall they were the better team. Both teams had three pretty decent chances to score in normal time, but it was not to be.

However in the end, they did have greater ball possession, more overall shots, more corners, more crosses, more passes, so I dont think its very fair to say that we deserved to win. But then we did take it to penalties, and did make a great comeback right in the end of the first five shots, when Hildebrand saved Lincoln's kick to keep Stuttgart in the game.
 
Schalke win penalty shoot out

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Schalke enter final after shootout win

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Frank Rost's save off Ludovic Magnin hands Schalke victory

Schalke have made it to the DFB Liga-Pokal (German League Cup) final after beating Stuttgart 6-5 in a penalty shootout. Both teams missed one penalty in the intial five chances, before Frank Rost saved Ludovic Magnin's kick in the sudden death stage to send his team to final, at the expense of Stuttgart.

Schalke could have won the game in normal time, had it not been for their poor finishing. Out of a total of fifteen shots taken, just three were on target. Schalke did enjoy a greater share of the possesion with 54%. Kevin Kuranyi come close to scoring against the club he played for last season, but his shot was well saved by Timo Hildebrand. Brazilian midfielder Lincoln had a pulsating game, causing the Stuttgart defence quite a few problems. But however most of his crosses and passes were not picked up the Schalke forwards.

For Stuttgart, Danish striker Jon Dahl Tomasson had a decent shot on goal but was deflected out for a corner by Frank Rost. Djaniel Ljubjoa had a long range attempt which was also handled to safety by Rost.

Finally after 90 minutes of football, neither team was able to find the net, which meant the match would be decided by the dreaded penalty shootout.

The first person to miss in that shootout was Stuttgart right back Andreas Hinkel. Lincoln then just needed to score the next one, but his shot was saved by Hildebrand. The next round, saw both teams score, followed by Poulsen who also scored to give Schalke a 6-5 lead. Swiss defender Ludovic Magnin, had to score to keep Stuttgart in the game, but his shot was blocked by Frank Rost.

Despite the loss, Stuttgart manager, Claudio Ranieri was confident ahead of the Bundesliga season.

"It is unfortunate to have lost this game on penalties, but then this is all a part of football. You win some and you lose some. I am pleased with my team's effort, and we now look forward to the Bundesliga." said Ranieri.

Schalke manager, Ralf Rangnick believes his team are now capable of winning the Cup.

"We are a good strong team, and the players are playing with a lot of passion and dedication, which was evident today. Irrespective of who we play in the final, I am confident that we can win this cup. It will be a great start to our season." said Rangnick.

Schalke therefore go through to the final where they will meet the winner of tonight's game between defending champions Bayern M?nchen and Hertha Berlin.
 
Training and the trial of Jens Harter

Following Stuttgart's semi-final exit from the League Cup, the players resumed training under the watchful eyes of Claudio Ranieri, his assistant manager Andreas Brehme, as well as the other coaches under Ranieri.

The 53 year old Italian gave a brief speech to his players.

"I am not too bothered about the result yesterday but I think we were second best during the game. We dint have enough of the ball, and had just three good chances all game. I agree its difficult to dominate playing away from home, but we will have to work harder if we are to do well in the Bundesliga. I hope yesterday's game and this tournament in general has given you some lessons, which will help you perform better in the season."

Ranieri maintained the same training priorities.

On Thursday, Stuttgarter Kicker's 25 year old defender, Jens Harter had his trial with VfB Stuttgart, as a part of Ranieri's search for a future defender.

Harter was tested and observed by Ranieri, Brehme and all the other coaches. They were pretty impressed and asked Harter to attend training for a whole week. Harter particularly impressed with his tackles, indicating he could have a good future at VfB Stuttgart. Andreas Brehme also asked the club officials to enquire about Harter's availability and price with his current club, Stuttgarter Kickers.

Stuttgart's next game is on Sunday, which is a friendly against local rivals, Karlsruher SC.

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Stuttgart would get a mighty boost if they could get a player like Harter for a nominal transfer fee, if he can prove himself at the highest level.
 
Bala said:
Stuttgart would get a mighty boost if they could get a player like Harter for a nominal transfer fee, if he can prove himself at the highest level.
Well with the wage budget as it is at the moment, I have no other alternatives. But the main plan behind the possible signing of Harter is that he will play atleast one full season with the Reserves, and if he does well, then he might be considered for the first team in the future. However the arrival of Marco Materazzi could affect his chances. I also intend to play defender Andreas Beck sometime during the season. He has played a few games for the first team in the 2004-05 season.

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In the meantime, Claudio Ranieri has received offers for Martin Stranzl and Mathieu Delpierre.

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Martin Stranzl in action for Stuttgart

Martin Stranzl was signed for ?300K from 1860 M?nchen at the beginning of last season by then manager Matthias Sammer. In 29 appearances, Stranzl has scored one goal for the club. Mathieu Delpierre was also signed last season on a free from French side Lille. He has made 10 appearances for the first team, scoring 1 goal. He played most of the season playing for the reserves.

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Delpierre was seen as a star of the future

Claudio Ranieri doesnt really want to sell any defenders, because of obvious reasons, but if the Materazzi deal has to go through he needs to get rid of some players to be able to offer a good enough contract for Materazzi.

Anyways Martin Stranzl is wanted by Italian side Lecce who have made an initial offer of ?1.1M, while Mathieu Delpierre is wanted by three clubs, PSG, Auxerre and Nantes. PSG are offering ?1.3M, while Auxerre and Nantes are ready to offer ?1.4M for the promising French defender.

Claudio Ranieri is however not ready to consider any offers less than ?1.5M for either of these players and has hence replied to the clubs stating that he wants atleast ?2M for either defender, plus some additional charges.
 
unlucky in the semi!!!!
but your team is looking strong before the season so i think you can take the title by the end of the year.

great presentation and loving the Europe Soccernet articles they are fab
keep it up :clap :)
 

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