A 2-1 loss to Parma diminishes Bayer Leverkusen’s hopes to reach the UEFA Cup final, but the subsequent sacking of its coach has Tom Dooley and teammates in high spirits.
“Of course, you can hear it,” said Tom Dooley. “And they had been singing it for the last few games.”
The U.S. midfielder was referring to the chants that echoed through the Ulrich-Haberland Stadium as Bayer Leverkusen lost 2-1 to Italy’s Parma April 4. The fans yelled, “Stepi raus” (“Stepi out”).
They called for the firing of coach Dragoslav Stepanovic. Dooley won’t deny that he shared the sentiment. He didn’t speak out against the coach with whom he had a rocky relationship since September, but he expressed his relief when the club canned Stepanovic April 7.
“We are looking forward to a coach,” Dooley said, “who strives for success by building up his players and motivating them positively, in contrast to Stepanovic, who de-motivated his players.”
On April 10, Leverkusen had its first practice with Erich Ribbeck, the former German national team assistant coach who has coached five Bundesliga clubs, including Leverkusen in 1985-88. In 1988, Leverkusen won the UEFA Cup.
Stepanovic had also had an acrimonious parting with his last club — Eintracht Frankfurt in 1993. Dooley joined Leverkusen after playing every minute of U.S. 1994 World Cup play and despite solid performances landed in Stepanovic’s overcrowded doghouse.
“I had one of my best games against PSV Eindhoven [in September],” Dooley said in a phone interview April 10. “Then eight days later I was on the bench. I had a discussion with him [Stepanovic] about it, and the result was he didn’t talk to me for three months.”
Leverkusen, with a lineup full of national team players, floundered. Instead of competing for the title, as expected, it stood in 11th place. Dooley returned to the lineup in March. By then, Stepanovic had public disputes with Ulf Kirsten, the former East German star.
“Then he had problems with Rudi Voeller, the general manager and the fans, whom he addressed in the press,” Dooley said. “He had finally gone too far and was released on Friday [April 7].
“It was best for the team. The manner in which his firing alleviated the tension was evident in our first game without him.”
Dooley missed April 8 game against fourth-place Borussia Moenchengladbach, having pulled a muscle during warm-ups five minutes before kickoff. His replacement, Josef Nehl, was ejected in the eighth minute for a foul on Martin Dahlin. Leverkusen won 3-1.
Parma capitalizes on errors
Never has a U.S. national team player won a European club competition trophy. Dooley’s chances of winning the UEFA Cup hinge on Leverkusen’s ability to overcome the 2-1 deficit when they play the return leg in Parma April 18.
Two defensive blunders early in the second half cost Leverkusen dearly in the home leg — Stepanovic’s last game with Leverkusen.
After Brazilian Paulo Sergio had given the Germans the lead in the 20th minute, the Leverkusen defense gave away two soft goals to Dino Baggio and Faustino Asprilla in the 48th and 53rd minutes.
Parma is in good position to reach a European final for the third consecutive season. Two years ago, the Italians won the Cup Winners’ Cup with victory over Belgium’s Antwerp while last year it lost to England’s Arsenal in the final of the same competition.
Stepanovic said before the game that he wanted his team to play defensively despite its home advantage and left experienced striker Voeller on the bench.
“We played very well in the first half,” Dooley said. “Parma had no scoring chances. We had two or three and went up 1-0.”
Paulo Sergio took his opportunity superbly, firing in a fierce shot into the top of the net from 12 yards out after the Parma defense failed to clear a corner from veteran playmaker Bernd Schuster. But early in the second half the Germans handed Parma two easy goals. Defender Marcus Happe lost sight of Baggio at the right side of the penalty area and Leverkusen keeper Ruediger Vollborn was only able to deflect the Italian’s shot into the net.
“Going into the second half we were confident of a 1-0 or 2-0 win,” said Dooley, who played as a defensive midfielder and kept Gianfranco Zola in check during the first half. “Then Happe fell asleep and we gave up the first goal. A few minutes later [sweeper Ioan] Lupescu and our goalie erred and we were down 2-0.”
On the second goal, Antonio Benarrivo got the better of a weak challenge from Vollborn 10 yards from goal by heading the ball out of his reach, then leaving it for Asprilla, who fired home from inside the area for Parma’s second vital away goal.
“Then we had to throw everything forward,” Dooley said. “In the first half, I was filling gaps in the midfield, but once we went down I started charging forward. I had two chances to equalize — a header from seven meters and a shot from 16 meters that just missed.”
Leverkusen was lucky that Parma did not increase its lead, Asprilla coming close twice in the final minutes.
“We are not in a great position,” Dooley said, “but it is not impossible to score two goals in the return leg. We must fight for 90 minutes.”
Dooley says he won’t be able play for the U.S. against Belgium in Brussels April 22 because Leverkusen plays a league game April 21, but he plans to attend the match.
“I am looking forward to the U.S. Cup,” Dooley said. “I’d also like to play in the Copa America, but that’s something the federation and my club have to work out.”
by Soccer America Senior Editor <Mike Woitalla/I>