achtzehn99-Review 2009

December 2009

1899 Hoffenheim ended 2009 without a single win in the final month of the year. Following a good performance in Hamburg, Ralf Rangnick's troops lacked precision in front of goal in their final two matches of the decade against Frankfurt and VfB Stuttgart. Ramazan Özcan joined Besiktas Istanbul on loan shortly before 2010 rolled in.

05.12.: Hamburger SV 0-0 1899 Hoffenheim
In a game without any real highlights 1899 Hoffenheim managed a goalless draw away to Hamburger SV. After what was a fairly promising first quarter of an hour, the high level of football dipped, with both teams solid in defence. Through individual errors there were some chances at either end. Hoffenheim were the better of the two sides in the second half but weren't able to make their dominance count. For extended periods the visitors put Hamburg under pressure and probed for the opening goal, eventually resulting in a hard earned draw.

12.12.: 1899 Hoffenheim 1-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
In an uninspired Bundesliga match, 1899 Hoffenheim and Eintracht Frankfurt played out a 1-1 draw. In the last home-game of the year, there was not much to be seen of the usually offensive-minded Hoffenheim side. After taking the lead early on through a penalty kick, a lack of determination saw the hosts fail to extend their lead. The game barely improved in the second half and Frankfurt managed to equalise after a long-range attempt of Pirmin Schwegler was deflected, landing in the back of the net. Hoffenheim tried to invest more into their game further up the pitch, but they continued to lack quality. Towards the end of the game, Frankfurt had several more attacking attempts, which makes the 1-1 final score-line a deserved result.

19.12.: VfB Stuttgart 3-1 1899 Hoffenheim
1899 suffered a 1-3 defeat at VfB Stuttgart. The hosts coped better with the difficult pitch conditions and although Hoffenheim managed an equalizer shortly before the break, Ralf Rangnick's team was a man down after 52 minutes when Luiz Gustavo got sent off after receiving a second yellow card. Stuttgart benefitted from the momentum and was able to threaten Hoffenheim's goal on several occasions before taking the lead again. While Gebhart wasted a huge opportunity to make it 3-1, seconds later Khedira used a similar chance to make the game safe for Stuttgart. In general it was a deserved victory for VfB Stuttgart because they were able to deal a bit better in the snowy conditions.