Tomasson hands Trapattoni a lifeline

Jon Dahl Tomasson handed Giovanni Trapattoni a lifeline by leading VfB Stuttgart to a 2-0 win away to Stade Rennes in the UEFA Cup.

The question now is whether the Italian coach can hang on for the next two league games while the Denmark striker completes a three-match suspension.

Trapattoni's credit with Stuttgart president Erwin Staudt appears to have run out following a decline in domestic form from merely mediocre to outright terrible.

Stuttgart needed a last-minute own goal to rescue a point from last weekend's game at home Borussia Moenchengladbach in what was a new low for a team who challenged for the title last season.

"Our fans expect better," Staudt said after a result that left Stuttgart in ninth place with 11 points from nine games. "Not at some time in the future, but now. Our patience is not limitless."

Trapattoni, 66, was criticised early on for dropping captain Zvonimir Soldo as part of a squad rotation policy and for confusing the players with his system.

So far, the only positive has been the form of former Milan striker Tomasson.