No More Screwing Around (aka Stuttgart – Lyon Preview)

By: Inara | October 21st, 2007

I don’t know how to put it more simply than this: If Lyon have any hopes of qualifying for the knockout rounds, then they HAVE to win at Stuttgart. A loss in Germany means Lyon can kiss their qualification hopes goodbye, especially considering the good forms of Rangers and Barcelona.

Stuttgart is the only Group E team not represented on the Offside, but perhaps Jan at the Bundesliga Offside might post information pertaining to Stuttgart as Match Day 3 approaches.

October 23, 2007
Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion, Stuttgart
2:45 PM Eastern Time (20:45 in France)

Match background:

This is a high stakes match for both clubs. Neither have won a match in the Champions League so far, and considering that Lyon are the French champions and Stuttgart are the German champions, it’s quite embarrassing. Both teams have lost at home and away, though Stuttgart’s results are better in that they only lost 2-0 to Barcelona and 2-1 at Ibrox. Lyon lost both games by conceding three goals and scoring none.

I would argue that the pressure is higher for Lyon because unlike Stuttgart, if Lyon don’t qualify, this will be their worst European campaign since they debuted in the CL eight years ago. Stuttgart were expected to grab the UEFA Cup spot. Funny how things worked out.

In terms of experience, Lyon have a lot more of it than Stuttgart, and they can also take heart from having a fabulous record against German opposition. Their last three visits to Germany all resulted in victories, beating Bayer Leverkusen in 2001, Bayern Munich in 2003, and Werder Bremen in 2004 (10-2 aggregate!). So that should help their confidence – but again, past results don’t mean much if the current team decides to play like crap.

Stuttgart have done alright against the French, having defeated Lens, Auxerre, and Lille in various Intertoto Cup matches and with a surprise victory at Rennes in the UEFA Cup three years ago.

The teams:

In terms of domestic results, the ESPN Soccernet headlines from this weekend say it all. On the Bundesliga page, the main headline is “Hamburg Hammer Stuttgart” while on the Ligue 1 page, it’s “Lyon Maul Monaco.”

Stuttgart are languishing in 14th place, just two places off of the relegation zone. Lyon on the other hand are nestled in first place (though perhaps not so comfortably…Nancy still has a game in hand).

You would think that Lyon have the upper hand in this match, but despite Stuttgart’s poor form, it only takes a single game to break a chain of bad results, and this game is probably the best time for Stuttgart to wake up and play like the German champions they’re supposed to be.

The managers:

Not much of an advantage for either team. Armin Veh and Alain Perrin can console each other in their obscurity. Both have worked their way up to Champions League clubs by coaching smaller teams, some of them in the second division. Veh has the distinction of winning the German title in his first year managing Stuttgart while Alain Perrin will probably do the same at Lyon this season.

I consider them to be evenly matched in terms of tactical know-how and leadership qualities, though I imagine Veh is more well-liked by his players and staff, which is always a big help. Otherwise, both Veh and Perrin are in danger of being outclassed in Europe, with their reputations on the line.

But at least they are admitting their precarious positions and are working to overcome them. Perrin, lamenting the fact that his defense is in shambles, knows that Lyon need to take more care against Stuttgart and is hoping that the boost in confidence will help them overcome their European jitters.

Veh, who has his own injury crisis to deal with, is trying to figure out how to rotate his squad more efficiently given their lack of bench depth. He is aware that though Stuttgart are coming off a bad result against Hamburg, if they don’t defeat Lyon at home, they will be in a lot of trouble.

The players:

It’s fair to say that overall, Lyon possess slightly better players and better bench depth. But that doesn’t mean Stuttgart is bereft of quality, and based on their results from last year, I don’t think Stuttgart care about the names on their roster. For them it’s all about hard work and team spirit, two qualities that are more valuable than anything that can be bought with mucho euros.

Let’s hope Mario Gomez has nothing to smile about on Tuesday.

Still, if there is one player that Lyon should fear, it’s Mario Gomez, who, in addition to being kind of cute, is a very lethal striker. He’s only notched four goals for Stuttgart in the league (plus one in the CL) this year, but his talent in undeniable. He’s tall, strong, and pacey, so it’s difficult for defenders to mark him. He’s also a hard worker, not just a poacher. What I like best about Gomez is that he has a good head on his shoulders. Though he’s being pursued by clubs such as Juventus and Real Madrid, he extended with Stuttgart until 2012 because he’s more concerned with improving and playing constantly than bringing home a huge paycheck.

There is also Fernando Meira, who played in the World Cup with Portugal last summer and captained Stuttgart to the title. German international Thomas Hitzlsperger plays a key role in the midfield and will be looking to be as influential this year as he was last year.

Watch out for: Karim Benzema. He just scored his 11th league goal last Saturday, and with two goals scored for France the week before, all that’s left is for him to open up his European tally this season. He’s a fast and tricky player, isn’t afraid to dribble or track back defensively, and will be eager to prove that he can play on a bigger stage.

Juninho is also nearing top form, and in his past few games, we’ve seen glimpses of Juninho V. 2006.

Tactics:

Now is not the time to test out a brand new lineup. If Perrin has learned anything from the last two CL matches, familiarity = comfort = confidence. Playing musical chairs with fullbacks and midfielders is not a good idea.

With Gregory Coupet, Cris, and Patrick Muller out injured, and with three new players in the back line (Fabio Grosso, Nadir Belhadj, and Cleber Anderson), Lyon are having a hard time establishing defensive regularity, but there isn’t that much Perrin can do about it. Lyon might have a lot of options in midfield and in attack, but right now, defenders are slim pickings at OL.

Le groupe lyonnais: Vercoutre, Roux – Clerc, Réveillère, C.Anderson, Squillaci, Grosso, Belhadj, Bodmer, Toulalan, Fabio Santos, Källström, Juninho, Govou, Ben Arfa, Keita, Benzema, Baros.

I’ve given up on trying to guess what Perrin is thinking, so this is the lineup I would like to see.

Vercoutre
Reveillere – Squillaci – Anderson – Grosso
Bodmer – Toulalan – Juninho
Keita – Benzema – Govou

Though Fred is match fit, he still has one more game to sit out before his UEFA suspension is over (a three match ban for elbowing Chivu last year). This is not the time to start Milan Baros, who hasn’t played in quite a while. I’m also advocating the 4-3-3 because that’s what Lyon know best, so I don’t want to see a 4-3-1-2 (or a 4-4-2, 4-1-3-2, 4-6-0, 10-0, or any other numerical combination that equals ten) in Europe until all the players are fit and comfortable with each other.

Hatem Ben Arfa probably deserves a start, but Kader Keita is stronger and will be able to deal with big German players more easily. I would rather Ben Arfa come on as a “joker” in the second half. Kim Kallstrom’s lackluster performance against Monaco this past weekend has me preferring Mathieu Bodmer for Tuesday. I also think Keita would feel more comfortable with Bodmer on the pitch.

Karim Benzema wants to make the Germans cry.

The reason I prefer Anthony Reveillere to Francois Clerc is that Reveillere is more defensive, and the last thing Lyon need are two unexposed flanks (because neither Nadir Belhadj nor Fabio Grosso know anything about defending that left corridor).

And we can’t do anything about Remy Vercoutre, can we? Frederic Roux is on the team solely to increase Lyon’s payroll expenses.

Viewing options:

I’m not sure why, but ESPN Deportes will be broadcasting Stuttgart vs. Lyon live on Tuesday. Unfortunately for those of us who don’t know Spanish, neither ESPN2 or ESPN Classic will be showing the match – not even on tape delay. Setanta won’t be showing it either (though they will be broadcasting Marseille vs. Porto on Wednesday). In France, you can watch the game on Canal+.

If you don’t want to pay UEFA $10 to see the game live, I suggest you visit this site for streaming options. If I find anything better by Tuesday afternoon, I’ll be sure to post the links in the comments.

Expected Result:

I’m afraid to expect anything. But I wish for a win. Any win. Even a win that features Sidney Govou winning a dubious penalty. I’m too stressed out to care about honor and fair play at the moment.