Position
The second half of the season started just as well for VfL Wolfsburg as the first. The team from Lower Saxony produced an outstanding performance in the first 45 minutes away to Schalke and they were in control of the game. However, Bruno Labbadia's team were unable to build on that advantage after the restart, coming under increasing pressure and finally losing out as a double from the former Wolfsburg player Daniel Caligiuri secured a 2-1 win for the Royal Blues. "It's a real shame. We helped the opposition after half-time by giving the ball away," said Labbadia. The defeat cost his team fifth place in the table that was achieved by an incredible finish in 2018 with 19 out of a possible 21 points from the last seven games of the first half of the season – a great success in view of being in the relegation play-offs for the past two seasons. And the Wolves are still in the DFB Cup although the Green and Whites face a tough away tie at the start of February at RB Leipzig.
Personnel
In spite of the disappointment of the defeat, there were positives in the game at Schalke – above all in the shape of two debuts. Homegrown player Elvis Rexhbecaj (pictured above) levelled the scores at 1-1 with his first Bundesliga goal. For the 21-year-old, it is the current high point of a rapid rise: Rexhbecaj was still playing for the Regional League team in late summer but over the course of the first half of the season he established a regular position in central midfield with the first team and has emerged as a positive addition for the Wolves. Another debutant is looking to build on his appearance in the Schalke game: Winger Felix Klaus joined Wolfsburg from Hanover in the summer but he suffered a groin injury at the start of the pre-season that required an operation that kept him out of action for the whole of the first half of the season. At Schalke he came off the bench for the last six minutes to make his first appearance in a VfL shirt. "It's great to be back on the pitch," said Klaus in spite of the defeat. However, it appears unlikely that Labbadia will start the forward against the Werkself. At the moment, two other players are preferred on the wings, the two Swiss Renato Steffen and Admir Mehmedi (at Bayer 04 from 2015 to 2018). Klaus does offer the option from the bench with his pace and ambition definitely providing a threat to the opposition.
Problems
here was bad news for VfL during the winter break. Striker Daniel Ginczek went off injured in the friendly against the Croatian club HNK Rijeka and initial fears were confirmed: An ankle injury that means at least two and a half months on the sidelines. That was a blow not only to Ginczek, who has suffered again and again with injuries in the past. But also for the whole team: The 27-year-old impressed above all in the final stages of the first half of the season with five goals and three assists. VfL will also be without the services of enforcer Ignacio Camacho for an extended period. The Spaniard underwent an operation on his ankle in October and now faces going under the knife again. There is question mark over captain Joshua Guilavogui who missed the Schalke game due to a pulled muscle.
Potential
VfL celebrated the tenth anniversary of their one and only German league title in May. Wolfsburg were reminded of that achievement in the winter break when the now 39-year-old Grafite, who was Bundesliga top goalscorer in the championship season with 28 goals, paid a visit to his old club. Currently the club is somewhat far away from matching the performances of the trio of Grafite/Dzeko/Misimovic but, at the same time, the triumph of 2009 and the DFB Cup win of 2015 shows what is possible at Wolfsburg if the personnel policy is right. After years of setbacks, the club is now definitely back on track to build on the success of previous times..
Prediction
The loss of Ginczek robs VfL of an important threat. If Wout Weghorst, the only fit central striker in the squad, can build on his return of six goals in the first half of season and Klaus can strengthen the attack sooner or later then the chances are good that the Wolves will return to the European stage next season for the first time since the Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid in 2016. In the end that will probably depend on the Labbadia team being more consistent at home to pick up more points than in the first half of the campaign (just 12 points from nine matches).
