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

[m_vaughan]

Bundesliga MD1: VfB Stuttgart vs FC Mainz

Bundesliga Matchday 1
VfB Stuttgart vs FC Mainz
Gottlieb-Daimler Stadium

The Match:
The first match of the season for new manager Claudio Ranieri, and against a team who surprised everyone last season after being promoted from the second division. Ranieri's run in pre-season is also pretty impressive with three wins, and two draws.

Here are how the teams have lined up:

Subs:

Claudio Ranieri is without Jon Dahl Tomasson (hamstring) and Heiko Gerber (groin). This gives Uruguay's Ivan Gonzalez a place in the starting lineup.
The 20 year old Marcel Schuon also starts in defence, although Ranieri did say that he wasnt going to play Gerber in centre of defence once the Bundesliga started. The Italian has also modified his formation a bit, playing Christian Tiffert more inside, which leaves Thomas Hitzlsperger as the sole out and out winger. Fernando Meira has done well so far in that defensive midfield position, serving the dual purpose of a holding midfielder and a defender.

Mainz are playing a 4-4-2 formation with Stuttgart target Manuel Friedrich in defence. Ranieri would have told his defence to be watchful of Mohammad Zidan, who starts upfront for Mainz.

The Result:

So Jesper Gronkjaer repays manager Ranieri's faith in him with an 89 minute winner. The Danish international who has played under the Italian at English club Chelsea, came on as a substitute in the second half, headed the ball into the goal after goalkeeper Dimo Waiche only managed to get his fingertips to deal with the corner.

Earlier in the first half , Stuttgart were lucky to have won a penalty, after replays showed that there was minimal contact between Buades and Cacau. Hitzlsperger though made no mistakes with the resulting penalty kick, and gave the home side a 1-0 lead.

Mainz replied with an equaliser some 15 minutes later thanks to some fine finishing from forward Mohammad Zidan. The striker found space after picking up Meijer's pass, and was one-on-one with the keeper, and slotted the ball into the net. Hildebrand had no chance.

Gronkjaer's headed goal in the 89th minute, got the crowd to its feet, and more importantly got Stuttgart three vital points.

Thomas Hitzlsperger was named man of the match for his overall performance in today's game. Others players who did well were Jesper Gronkjaer, Fernando Meira and Christian Tiffert. Fernando Meira is doing an excellent job overall, winning possession back and even having some fine attempts at goal. Had it not been for Hitzlsperger's goal, I would have given the MOM to Meira. But Hitzlsperger did play and did create a lot of chances for the strikers. Ivan Gonzalez had a poor game.

Claudio Ranieri was especially pleased to have got off to a winning start in the league.

"We have done well, and it is always good to start off with three points. Our players did their job well overall, and I think if we can improve on a few areas, we can have a good season." said the Italian after the match.

[Note: As you know I am unable to provide match stats and player ratings for this game. And for the next game (vs Hertha Berlin), I will just post the Soccernet match report. Following that it will back to the normal in-depth match coverage. Sorry for the inconvenience.]

 

[m_vaughan]

Late Gronkjaer header seals Stuttgart win

An 89th minute headed goal from Jesper Gronkjaer handed Claudio Ranieri's side three points in the opening fixture of the 2005-06 Bundesliga campaign, against FC Mainz. The former Chelsea and Atletico Madrid player came off the bench in the second half, and even before scoring the goal, created a lot of chances for his team.

Earlier, Stuttgart took the lead through Thomas Hitzlsperger's penalty kick, after Miguel Buades was penalised for fouling Stuttgart striker Cacau. Replays did however reveal minimal contact between the two.

Stuttgart could have doubled their lead soon after through Fernando Meira's long ranger, but were denied by Mainz goalkeeper Dimo Wache.

Mainz then scored against the run of play after striker Mohammed Zidan found some space and was able to run unchallenged right upto the Stuttgart goal, and slot it past Timo Hildebrand.

Both teams had chances, with the home side having more of them and the overall ball possession.

Thomas Hitzlsperger should have sealed the game, some 10 minutes from full time after he had a nice attempt at goal, but his shot was just wide.

Finally it was supersub Jesper Gronkjaer, who outjumped Christian Springer, and headed the ball into the Mainz goal, to seal the win for the home side. The stadium erupted, as Stuttgart celebrated a winning start to the Bundesliga season.

Stuttgart manager Claudio Ranieri was pleased with the win and praised his players for trying on till the end.

"My players never gave up, and this thirst and persistance in the end is what won us the game. I am very happy and proud of my players." said the rather excited 53-year old.

Mainz manager Jurgen Klopp accepted defeat and congratuled Stuttgart on the win.

"We would have been very lucky if we held on to the draw, because they did have quite a few chances. We also had chances of our own, which if we had converted at that time, then the result could have been different. But in the end of the day, they were the better team, and deserve the victory." said Klopp.

Jesper Gronkjaer was also delighted to have scored the late winner.

"It is always great to win with late goals like that, and for me its even more special, as I had a point to prove to a lot of people that I am capable of playing in the first team." said the Danish international, who had been relegated to the reserves team under previous manager Matthias Sammer.

 

[Bala]

Good work by Gronk! Thriller first up.

 

[m_vaughan]

Stuttgart reveal new signing

Stuttgart today have announced the signing of 25 year old German defender Jens Harter from local rivals Stuttgarter Kickers for a fee of ?7K. This is new manager Claudio Ranieri?s first signing, who since his arrival has seen the exit of Zvonimir Soldo, Horst Heldt and Martin Stranzl from the club.

Harter however is expected to play in the reserves team initially before being considered for the first team. He was offered a contract, after attending a one-week trial with the club.

The player was delighted to have got the opportunity and is ready to fight his way into the first team.

?For me it was always a dream to play for Stuttgart, and now that dream has become reality. I am going to give it my absolute best, and hopefully I will be able to help the club to win a few trophies. My ultimate aim is to win the Bundesliga with this club,? said Jens Harter.

 

[m_vaughan]

Training and another player leaves

After having got off to a winning start in the Bundesliga, Claudio Ranieri?s boys have already started training hard ahead of the next match against Hertha Berlin.

The players have been undergoing various exercises and practice. Claudio Ranieri has been working hard with all his defenders, getting them in top shape ahead of Saturday?s game.

Ranieri instructing his players at training

Claudio Ranieri and Andreas Brehme also had the players play each other in a 7 vs 7 game on Thursday.

Later on Ranieri was informed by the Sporting Director that Nantes had placed a bid of ?1.9 million for Mathieu Delpierre. Ranieri realised that with that money, his overall transfer budget would be nearly ?9 million.

Ranieri quickly got in touch with Assitant manager Andreas Brehme who initially was against the sale of Delpierre:

?We only bought him last season, and is one of your future prospects. I would not recommend this transfer.?

But Ranieri replied saying,

?Yes you are right, but we are getting a very good price for a player who hasn?t played much in the first team. I fully understand that we will be sacrificing one of our future players, but I think with the money we get, we could use it for making one big signing that we so desperately need.?

Brehme reluctantly agreed.

Delpierre and his agent were contacted, and after getting the approval from both, Ranieri called back the Sporting Director?s office and said that the coaching staff, the player and his agent had all accepted.

A fax was then sent to Nantes stating that their bid had been accepted, and that they could now talk with the player and his agent. Delpierre himself seemed fairly happy with the news, especially since he would get to play in his home country. Ranieri too realised that and was of the view that no one who is unhappy at the club should be forced to stay there.

A deal was struck between the player and Nantes. The news was very soon out.

Delpierre makes ?1.9M move to Nantes

Delpierre joined Stuttgart in 2004 on a free transfer


24 year old Stuttgart defender, Mathieu Delpierre has been signed by French side Nantes on a 3 year deal. For this Nantes will be paying the German club a fee of ?1.9 million. Delpierre becomes the fourth player to exit the club since new manager Claudio Ranieri?s arrival.

Nantes manager Serge Le Dizet hailed the transfer as the right move for the club.

?Mathieu has a lot of talent, and is young. He can develop into one of the best players in the future, and that is exactly the sort of thing that I am looking for to have in this team. Being French, he can also become a hero with the fans here,? said the 41-year old.

The promising Frenchman made just 10 first team appearances for Stuttgart since joining from Lille on a free transfer before the start of last season, during which he scored one goal.

 

[m_vaughan]

Results from Matchday1 of the Bundesliga

Lets have a look at the match results from last weekend's
action.

Results:

Bundesliga table:

 

[m_vaughan]

Stuttgart lose in Berlin

Nando Rafael powers Hertha Berlin to victory

Nando Rafael celebrates his second goal of the match

A brace from Angolan striker Nando Rafael handed his team Hertha Berlin an impressive 4-1 victory over Stuttgart at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. Gilberto and Marcelinho each grabbed a goal as well for the home side, while Danijel Ljuboja was the only Stuttgart player to find the back of the net.

Stuttgart, however, did score first, when Danijel Ljuboja?s curling shot from just inside the penalty box, found its way past Christian Fidler and into the Hertha Berlin goal to the joy of the travelling fans.

Following that the visitors took almost complete control of the game, and kept Hertha Berlin goalkeeper Christian Fidler extremely busy.

However, just before the half time whistle, the Olympiastadion erupted when Gilberto headed in the equaliser for the home side from a Basturk corner. Gilberto was able to free himself from defenders Fernando Meira and Marcel Schuon, and jumped perfectly for the incoming corner, directing the ball straight into the Stuttgart goal with his head.

The momentum was with the home side in the second half, who now started dominating play. Stuttgart did have a few chances against the run of play, but it was Hertha Berlin who took the lead for the first time in the 57th minute through Nando Rafael who after completing a nice one-two with Niko Kovac, drilled the ball past Timo Hildebrand. Nando Rafael then sealed the game twenty minutes later, this time taking a low shot from much more tighter angle, but doing enough to beat Hildebrand again.

Marcelinho then put the icing on the cake for the home fans, when his curling free kick found the top right corner of the Stuttgart goal. The 30 year old Brazilian ran towards the fans and celebrated with them.

Stuttgart did have a chance to grab a consolation goal, but Jesper Gronkjaer?s shot was saved well by Fidler.

A loud roar went up in the Olympiastadion when the final whistle was blown, as Hertha Berlin completed a comprehensive 4-1 victory over VfB Stuttgart.

Stuttgart manager Claudio Ranieri did accept defeat but said that 4-1 was a very unfair reflection of the actual game.

?Those who had seen the game will know that we controlled and lead the game for almost the entire first half. But their goal came at a crucial time, and they took advantage of that in the second half, during which we were second best. We were still in with a shout till Nando Rafael scored his second and Berlin?s third, some thirteen minutes before full time. After that they were playing for fun, and the fourth goal was the indication of the confidence their players had at that time. For us we will have to work on our defence, which I thought was disappointing today. But otherwise our players dint play bad, and were just unlucky,? said Ranieri.

Hertha Berlin manager, Falko G?tz, praised his side?s performance and display.

?Stuttgart are a good team, so to win so convincingly against them requires something special. We dint have a very good first half, but our players kept on trying, and were rewarded just before half time with the equalising goal, which also was the turning point of this game. In the second half we were playing almost flawless football, which was great to watch. We have been practicing hard in training, and this hardwork was bearing fruit today. Nando Rafael was fantastic with both his goals, and is one of our most important players. Marcelinho then showed his Brazilian flair with that free kick. It was a great comeback for us after the defeat against Bayern,? said G?tz.

Man of the Match Nando Rafael said he wishes to carry on this form throughout the season.

?Hopefully this is only the beginning, and I will be able to score a lot more goals for the club, and help them do well this season. I want to win the Bundesliga for myself, the club and the fan,? said a rather excited Nando Rafael.

Hertha Berlin and Stuttgart are now both level on points in the Bundesliga at three, with the former leading on goal difference.

-----

[Note: Because of the problem that I had mentioned earlier, I wont be able to provide match
details and stats for the Hertha Berlin game. Next game onwards it
will be back to normal.]

 

[udaldaspinking]

Gud Game Is Fm2006 Realistic 2 Unlike Cm2006 With Newcastle You Get V High Transfur Budget
But Only Chelsea Has A Really Really High Budget

 

[m_vaughan]

____________________________________________________________

Lets now have a look at all the results from matchday 2

Results:

Hertha Berlin's 4-1 win over Stuttgart was the most convincing result of the weekend, while Schalke's 2-0 victory over Leverkusen is enough to put them on the top of the table, ahead of defending champions Bayern M?nchen who picked up a 2-1 away win at Dortmund. Leverkusen and Mainz are the only teams to have lost both games.

Bundesliga table:

Gud Game Is Fm2006 Realistic 2 Unlike Cm2006 With Newcastle You Get V High Transfur Budget
But Only Chelsea Has A Really Really High Budget

I havent played CM2006, so wont comment. Although our forum member Bala is using that game and is having to work hard as manager of Everton.

FM2006 is good, and imo even better than 2005.

 

[m_vaughan]

Stuttgart drawn against Wattenscheid in DFB Pokal 1st Round

Claudio Ranieri's team will play SG Wattenscheid in the first round of the DFB Pokal (German Cup). This match will be played at the Lohrheidestadion in Wattenscheid.

Stuttgart will want to restore their pride with a win in this game, after having been handed an insulting 1-4 defeat at the hands of Hertha Berlin.

Upcoming Fixture for VfB Stuttgart:

Last season Stuttgart were knocked out of this competition in the third round, losing 0-3 to eventual winners Bayern M?nchen.

 

[Bala]

that drubbing must have hit hard. Are Hertha good?

 

[m_vaughan]

that drubbing must have hit hard. Are Hertha good?

Yup and like the report said, Stuttgart actually dominated the first half.

Hertha finished 4th last season (2004-05), one place ahead of us. Their 22 year old Angolan striker Nando Rafael was simply awesome in this game, and seemed to get past our defenders (including Fernando Meira) with ease. Marcelinho was at this usual best, and Basturk had a nice game as well.

But since you are looking for a striker mate, I suggest considering Nando Rafael. I dont know how good he is in CM though.

 

[m_vaughan]

Stuttgart train hard

Following last weekend's 4-1 drubbing at the hands of Hertha Berlin, it became evident what a quality attack can do against the current Stuttgart defence.

Claudio Ranieri and his team of coaches have been working hard with the defenders and trying to work out a plan after criticism from both the press and fans about the team's defence.

Ranieri during training was talking to Andreas Brehme.

"You know if we were playing in the Spanish League, then we would have got murdered week in and week out. Every team there has atleast one quality striker or midfielder." Ranieri told Brehme.

"Yes I agree. And thats exactly what Rafael and Marcelinho did the other day, they were having a blast to be honest." Brehme replied.

Ranieri giving out instructions to his players during training

Ranieri then shouted out some instructions to Hildebrand.

"Any news on our bids for Materazzi, Friedrich and Pablo?" Brehme then asked Ranieri.

"Well Atletico have rejected our bid for Pablo, and arent even going consider an offer for him. Mainz apparently want atleast ?6.5 million for Friedrich. Inter are ready for ?2.3 million, which I have asked the board to consider if furthur negotiations fail. Keeping my fingers crossed on him, but he is just what I need to solve our defensive worries." replied Ranieri.

He then added:" I would also want you to get Andreas Beck and Jens Harter ready and fit for playing in thefirst team, because I may need them this season itself."

Brehme nodded his head, and looked towards the two players who were practicing with the other defenders.

Training continued throughout the week, and Ranieri had the players exercise a lot more to stay fit and ready ahead of the DFB Pokal 1st round game. During the week, Ranieri was also informed about a offer for his second goalkeeper Dirk Heinen. Ranieri was already looking to offload the player, and was ready to sell him for the highest price that was being offered. It turned out that L?beck were ready to pay ?900K for Heinen, which Ranieri accepted.

The 35 year old goalkeeper Dirk Heinen is sold to L?beck

Finally on the 18th of August, two days before the DFB Pokal 1st Round fixture, Dirk Heinen made the move to L?beck, and Ranieri put reserves keeper Alexander Stolz as Timo Hildebrand's deputy.

Alexander Stolz replaces Dirk Heinen as Stuttgart's second keeper

 

[m_vaughan]

Preview: SG Wattenscheid vs VfB Stuttgart

Stuttgart face Wattenscheid test

The Lohrheidestadion is the venue for the first round tie between SG Wattenscheid and VfB Stuttgart

VfB Stuttgart travel to Wattenscheid for their first round tie of the DFB Pokal against SG Wattenscheid.

SG Wattenscheid is a semi-professional football club based in the city of Watternscheid, in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of Germany. The club currently plays in the Norde Regionaliga which is the third division in Germany's domestic football structure.

VfB Stuttgart will want to restore some pride after suffering a 1-4 hammering at the hands of Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga. Coach Claudio Ranieri's concern with his team's defence became evident on that day, as Nando Rafael and Marcelinho made easy work of getting past the defence. However, Ranieri since then has sold his second choice goalkeeper Dirk Heinen, and has replaced the 35 year old veteran with Alexander Stolz from the club's reserves team.

Stuttgart were knocked out of the DFB Pokal in the third round stage last year, when they were beaten 3-0 by eventual champions Bayern M?nchen.

Manager Claudio Ranieri believes, with a bit of luck, his team can go all the way this season.

"We have an ambitious set of players, who take the cup competition very seriously. This is a good sign for me, the fans and obviously the club. After last week's defeat, it will be a good oppurtunity for the players to get back their rhythm in this game. However, we must not take the lower division teams lightly, because in football on a given day, any team can win," said Ranieri.

The Italian has also hinted that he will play a full strength side.

 

[Bala]

I bet this is going to be a stroll in the park for Ranieri's men. 4 - 0, I predict.