Stuttgart stumble knows no end

Armin Veh is looking to drag VfB Stuttgart out of a rut following a 4-1 defeat at Hamburger SV which Mario Gómez called "one of the worst days" of his career.

Sixth loss
Saturday's humiliating defeat left the reigning champions 14th in the 18 team Bundesliga. It was their sixth loss of the campaign – a shock given that they lost only six times in the league last season. "We were in a difficult position even before this game," said Veh. "With the results we've had in recent weeks, a number of players are quite unsure of themselves and that wasn't made any better by giving away an early goal."

Gomez shocked
Ivica Olić opened the scoring after just seven minutes and had wrapped up his hat-trick by the 34th minute. Joris Mathijsen scored a fourth for Hamburg before Serdar Tasci's effort added a thin veneer of respectability to the scoreline. It was little consolation for striker Gómez, who said: "Today was one of the worst days of my career. The situation is not easy for us at the moment but we have to get over the negative experiences and focus on the tasks ahead."

Lyon next
The next task for Veh's men is to pick up a first UEFA Champions League point of the season at home against Olympique Lyonnais on Tuesday, and Veh was hoping his side would not reflect too much on Saturday's result as they faced the French champions, who lost both of their opening Group E games 3-0. "We have to concentrate on the upcoming tasks," he said. "In such a situation results are the only thing which help and we will try to get them in our next games."