Two underachieving Bundesliga giants met on Sunday night, entrenched in the middle of the table as the winter break looms large. Both hosts VfB Stuttgart and their visitors FC Schalke 04 were in UEFA Cup action earlier in the week – with mixed fortunes.
Stuttgart met Sampdoria; returning from Genoa with a 1-1 draw in caretaker coach Markus Babbel’s first game as boss. The one-time Liverpool defender took temporary control of first team affairs in the aftermath of 2006/07 title-winning coach Armin Veh’s recent dismissal. It will be some act for the 36-year-old to follow: even in relative failure Veh was a popular figure at the club and ‘Danke Armin’ placards abounded at the packed Mercedes-Benz Arena prior to kick-off.
Schalke, meanwhile, were embarrassed at home by a rampant Manchester City side. 0-2 could easily have been 0-4 or 0-5, given City’s total supremacy in Gelsenkirchen. Stephen Ireland strolled through the German side’s midfield with alarming ease, and star full-back Rafinha was run ragged by the pace and exuberance of young Daniel Sturridge. In short, it was a whitewash.
Coming on the back of Thursday night’s comprehensive defeat and the news that the table-toppers – Bayern Munich and miracle club Hoffenheim (the two meet next weekend) – had each picked up another three points on Saturday; Schalke were sorely in need of a win.
Their bright start, however, went unrewarded. Energetic midfielder Jermaine Jones – much like Tottenham’s JJ, Jermaine Jenas, a player of great athleticism and willingness, lurking on the fringes of the national team – hit the base of the post early on. From the rebound, Jefferson Farfán somehow contrived to miss a near-open goal. With Jens Lehmann stranded, left-back Arthur Boka blocked heroically on the line, when Farfán really shouldn’t have given him any opportunity to do so.
Just minutes later, Farfán, a €10m summer buy from PSV, fluffed his lines again. Schalke’s goal-shy striker Kevin Kurányi hared in on goal as the slumbering Stuttgart defence failed to react and last man Boka had little choice but to halt his progress with a clear trip in the six-yard box. Remarkably, referee Wolfgang Stark opted to keep his cards to his chest – a trend which the decidedly liberal official maintained throughout the game – but a penalty was awarded. Not for the first time in a long, illustrious career, Stuttgart ‘keeper Lehmann guessed right: diving low and left to repel Farfán’s spot kick.
Spurred on by that let-off, the home side started to turn the tide. Free-scoring forward Mario Gómez, impressive throughout, was denied by goalkeeper Manuel Neuer at close range; had a strong penalty claim turned down; and then had a borderline-legitimate ‘goal’ ruled out for offside, all before half-time. It looked as if it was only a matter of time before he would get his reward.
After the break, Stuttgart’s superiority grew steadily into total dominance, as they penned the visitors firmly back in their half from the whistle. Managerial novice Babbel smartly opted to throw on Brazilian forward Cacau in place of the anonymous Ciprian Marica, with momentum tangibly building.
The substitute was quickly involved: threading a clever cross just beyond the reach of the unattended Gómez. Neuer then reacted quickly to keep out another effort from the German international. Ex-Aston Villa hammerfoot Thomas Hitzlsperger was uncharacteristically inaccurate with a drive from 20 yards soon after.
All of the hosts’ endeavours seemed as if they were to be in vain, as the clock ticked down and the deadlock remained unbroken. In the end, it took a 79th minute killer pass – from the most unlikely of sources –to shatter it decisively.
Khalid Boulahrouz, regarded as something of a hatchet-man (as his ‘Cannibal’ nickname might suggest) during brief, unsatisfactory spells with Chelsea and Sevilla, was surprisingly the man with the vision to pick out Czech sub Jan Šimák from deep inside his own half. Babbel had introduced the dynamic blond midfielder at the expense of captain Hitzlsperger only five minutes hence. That gamble was rewarded spectacularly, as Šimák escaped Fabian Ernst’s close attentions to send a magnificent lob over the on-rushing Neuer, from the edge of the area, which looped satisfyingly into the top-right corner of the Schalke net.
The Gelsenkirchen club’s spirit irreconcilably crushed; ruthless Stuttgart then went on to add a decisive second.
A bone-shuddering centre-circle collision between Jermaine Jones and Sami Khedira sent the ball spinning free for Pável Pardo to feed Gómez. The 23-year-old striker raced clear to fire in confidently with his favoured left foot. Khedira knew little about it, as he was escorted from the field looking like he’d gone 12 rounds or more with David ‘The Hayemaker’ Haye. Nonetheless, his side had done enough to deservedly confirm their first win in six games.
Schalke, though, clearly haven’t yet shaken their Man City blues. With this defeat they effectively conceded any lingering hopes of a post-Christmas title challenge.
Previous coach Mirko Slomka lost his job in spite of reaching the Champions League quarters (losing only to Barça) last year and finishing second to Stuttgart in 06/07. On that form, current boss, Dutchman Fred Rutten – lured from Steve McLaren’s FC Twente along with lumbering midfielder Orlando Engelaar – can only survive so long if results to not take a turn for the better. And soon.
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