Veh stumbles in Stuttgart debut

Tactical changes
Having replaced the outgoing Giovanni Trapattoni on Friday, Veh wasted little time in making his mark. The team that took the field at the Almstadion showed no fewer than four changes from that which drew 0-0 with Werder Bremen the previous Wednesday, with Andreas Beck, Martin Stranzl, Christian Gentner and Jon Dahl Tomasson all handed starts. Injuries to Andreas Hinkel, Silvio Meissner and Thomas Hitzlsperger had forced Veh's hand but the tactics were his own.

Beck blunder
Danish international Tomasson dropped into the heart of a progressive three-man midfield as the coach opted to supplant Trapattoni's rigid 4-4-2 formation with a more dynamic 4-2-3-1, which became 4-1-4-1 when the side switched to attack. Yet it was the defensive lineup that took precedence for much of the first half, and eventually Arminia broke the deadlock just after the half-hour when David Kobylik slipped past debutant Beck before crossing for Isaac Boakye to tap in.

Middlesbrough test
Ludovic Magnin soon levelled matters, scoring Stuttgart's first goal of 2006, and they were in search of a second six minutes after the restart when Boakye restored Arminia's lead. Stuttgart responded by introducing Jesper Grønkjær, but despite a lively performance on the wing, the Denmark man was unable to inspire another equaliser, and Veh has just a few days to turn things around ahead of Thursday's UEFA Cup Round of 32 tie against Middlesbrough FC at the Gottlieb-Daimer-Stadion.

'Lots of quality'
Having called the squad in on Sunday to analyse the defeat, the 45-year-old said: "I had to talk to the team about my ideas. I need to find out who works well with who, and what form individuals are in. But I'm optimistic – we definitely have a lot of quality."

'Collective unit'
The players are determined to help in this endeavour, and goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand believes the transition could help foster team spirit. "We have to become the collective unit we once were," he said. "It's a very difficult situation for the coach, but we can assist him." With Stuttgart yet to win in 2006, Veh will be grateful for all the help he can get.