VfL Wolfsburg's 2-1 defeat at home to Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend was made more painful by the fact it was none other than ex-player Omar Marmoush who was the match-winner with a brace. Especially as the Egyptian's winning goal came from the penalty spot in the 82nd minute. "We fought and pushed ourselves to the limit, so we're disappointed," said VfL coach Ralph Hasenhüttl after the final whistle. The Wolves lost in similar fashion against record champions FC Bayern Munich in their opening Bundesliga game, briefly leading 2-1 through a Lovro Majer brace before slipping to a 3-2 reverse. In between the two narrow defeats was a 2-0 away win at newcomers Holstein Kiel, where Maximilian Arnold and Sebastiaan Bornauw scored the goals. With three points from three matches, Wolfsburg sit in lower mid-table.
In the DFB Cup, the Green-and-Whites laboured to a 1-0 victory at fifth-tier side TuS Koblenz thanks to Patrick Wimmer's goal. They meet Borussia Dortmund at the Volkswagen Arena in the second round at the end of October.
The man in the mask: since a serious collision with an opponent two years ago, Kamil Grabara wears a guard in every match, even though the injuries have completely healed. The mask gives him security, and since succeeding long-time number one Koen Casteels, the club's most expensive goalkeeper has impressed so far. In the defeat to Bayern, the extroverted Pole was the best player on the pitch in the eyes of many observers. "Heavy metal instead of classic between the posts" was how kicker described the character change in the Wolfsburg goal. "I've never had someone in the dressing room who wants to win as much as he does," said VfL managing director Peter Christiansen about the keeper, who he himself sold to Wolfsburg during his time at FC Copenhagen.
VfL made three further signings shortly before the close of the summer transfer window. Midfielder Salih Özcan joined on loan from Borussia Dortmund and made his full debut against Frankfurt. Centre-back Denis Vavro, like Grabara, came from Copenhagen. The Slovakian has yet to feature but could start on Sunday. "He's an internationally proven defender," said VfL sporting director Sebastian Schindzielorz. Greek international Konstantinos Koulierakis, an arrival from PAOK Saloniki, is also in contention to start at the back having made a cameo appearance against Frankfurt. With no shortage of options, it's quite possible that Hasenhüttl will shuffle his defensive pack for the first time this season.
In midfield, captain Arnold remains the lynchpin. The 30-year-old made his 350th Bundesliga appearance for Wolfsburg against Eintracht - his first came under coach Felix Magath in November 2011. The Green-and-Whites will be without Majer in Leverkusen, after the Croatian sustained an ankle injury in the win in Kiel. Up front, Hasenhüttl has another pacey dribbler at his disposal in summer signing Mohamed Amoura (Union Saint-Gilloise), who could occupy the attacking wide berths together with Tiago Tomas. Wimmer has been deployed in the centre of attack so far this term. Also on the injury list with Majer are strikers Bartosz Bialek (cruciate ligament) and Lukas Nmecha (individual training) as well as full-back Rogerio (individual training) and midfielder Kevin Paredes (foot).
VfL are lacking in precision in some areas. The Lower Saxony side rank quite lowly when it comes to shooting and crossing accuracy, while their pass completion and chance conversion rates also require improvement. Since Wolfsburg have a relatively large squad of 31 and are only taking part in two competitions, it will be a challenge for coach Hasenhüttl to keep everyone happy. "The competition for places will be even greater, I'm intrigued to see how we handle that," said the Austrian.
Wolfsburg are relying on a physical, aggressive and tough-tackling style of play again this season. This robust approach is not least reflected by their 10 yellow cards from three games - only FC Augsburg have seen yellow more times so far this term. Their defensive play in particular "has become more intense because we're nailing the basics on the pitch", described Hasenhüttl. Proof: VfL are currently the side with the most sprints and the most intensive runs in the Bundesliga. Their coach wants his team to press high and demands quick transitions. Players like Arnold, Ridle Baku, Tomas, Amoura, Jonas Wind and Özcan are synonymous with this style of play. The latter declared ahead of the match against Bayer 04: "We know that Leverkusen have enormous quality, but we're not afraid of that and are going into the game with confidence."
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