Tough loss, encouraging signs

By: Pete | October 21st, 2009

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Well, that kinda sucked. Can’t help but feel a bit empty after coming out with such a spirited effort and coming away with nothing. Make no mistake about it, Stuttgart were the better team on the pitch last night. They completely dominated possession and dictated the pace of the game, especially throughout the first half. They were unlucky to not have been at least level at halftime.

That being said, last night was yet another example of two of Stuttgart’s most glaring deficiencies all year: defensive lapses and lack of finishing. Credit Sevilla for taking advantage of what few chances they had. Boulahrouz was straight up beaten on that first goal, plain and simple, and there’s no good excuse for it. The second goal, the real back breaker, was a horrible combination of goalie blunder and shoddy clearance. I felt up until this point there was a real chance of not only leveling but still being able to snatch all 3 points given the way Stuttgart were playing. And perhaps a bit of the wind was taken out of their sails at that point, and things got a little sloppy. The set piece third goal is evidence of this and put the final nail in the coffin, if there was any doubt.

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So many great chances were set up throughout the match it’s hard to figure out where to begin, but the moral of the story is they weren’t taken full advantage of. I can’t even remember when it was, but Schieber had a golden opportunity after Cacau (?) sent him through. One touch too many later, and a left footed shot into a defender rather than a right footed shot on net, another opportunity was squandered. That being said, keep playing the kid, he looks promising. This is the kind of game Gomez would’ve had 2 goals and we probably would’ve come out with all 3 points. Speculation of course, but one can dream can’t he?

At any rate, there are a ton of positives to come out with from this game. If they play like that this weekend there’s no doubt they’ll come back with 3 points away vs Hannover. And it was touched upon in the comments section of the rant box, but Unirea’s sound beating of Rangers makes the group a bit more interesting. I’d like to think Rangers play a bit better next time (EDIT), away, and hopefully beat Unirea giving both teams 4 points. A draw at Sevilla gives us 3; worst case we still are stuck on 2 going into the final two games vs Rangers away and Unirea at home. Those last two matches become must win. Let’s say we win them (seriously.) 12 pts for Sevilla, 8 for us. At this point in time Sevilla will be through and, as most teams do when there’s nothing on the line, will draw back a little. It’ll come down to if Unirea or more likely Rangers can poach points off of Sevilla. So yes, it’s speculation, but for the most part our destiny is still in our own hands. You know, assuming we beat both Rangers and Unirea, which as has been shown isn’t a guarantee.

Last little note on the match. Élson’s goal was naaaasty. If this was a Lampard or Ronaldo or someone else beating the wall and putting it in the top left corner of the net from 30 yards out, it’d be a Sportscenter top 10 nominee and whatever other highlight reels for the week. Enjoy the clip of it below.

That’s it. I’d love to hear comments/feedback or whatever else anybody has to say on the match.