Werkself review #WOBB04: 'Leverkusen continue to impress'

SUMMARY: INCREASED TEMPO AFTER HALF-TIME

Bayer 04 got off to a successful start in Wolfsburg: Jeremie Frimpong gave the visitors a timely lead with a shot from a tight angle (13') after good work from Victor Boniface who drew away a number of opponents in the box. Wolfsburg then got into the game and made life difficult for Werkself. The reward for VfL was an equaliser scored by Maxence Lacroix (41') that came from a corner with the ball flying around the penalty area as if in a pinball machine. Bayer 04 upped the tempo after the restart and again took the lead: Substitute Florian Wirtz quickly won back possession, Frimpong again raced down the right flank and his cross was converted by Alejandro Grimaldo with a deflected left-footed shot for the winner at 2-1 (62'). The victory was threatened in added time when Lukas Hradecky twice thwarted Wolfsburg striker Wind to secure the three points. The match report is HERE.

REACTION: "TURNED IT ROUND"

Hard-fought victories provide the most pleasure as comments from Leverkusen players and management demonstrate. "We had some problems in the first half and lost possession too easily but we turned it round after the break," said Jonathan Tah. Granit Xhaka took a similar view: "Wolfsburg were stronger and we were weaker after we took the lead and that's why our reaction in the second half was so important. We have to remain hungry." The assessment of head coach Xabi Alonso: "We knew about how difficult our job was and Wolfsburg’s strength at home. We controlled the game better in the second half and got between their defensive lines more often. It was a brilliant win for us in the end." Apart from the result, the Wolfsburg coach Niko Kovac had little complaint: "Hats off to my team, above all for the performance before half-time. But you can't treat Leverkusen for 90 minutes like we did in the first half."

WHAT THE PAPERS SAT: TOP MARKS FOR FRIMPONG

"Leverkusen continue to impress in the Bundesliga," reports the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger. Bild am Sonntag focused on substitute Florian Wirtz: "Alonso reacts – and that works. Wirtz does the job in the second half. The Germany player comes into the game after an hour – and delivers straightaway. He won the ball two minutes after his introduction and started the move for the winner." The Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung draws the following conclusion: "Bayer Leverkusen can now do hard-fought victories." For the Berliner Morgenpost "Leverkusen remain the team of the moment." The Rheinische Post awards top marks for the performance of Jeremie Frimpong with this explanation: "Skilfully worked himself into position for the cross from Boniface for the opener. In addition to his goal, he again and again posed problems for the Wolfsburg defence and they were unable to get a grip on him."

PERSONANEL: NO JOY FOR HOFMANN

Coach Xabi Alonso was also full of praise for the Netherlands international. "Jerry had a great influence on our game last season. But now he is playing with even more determination and maturity and is absolutely focused," declared the Spaniard. Jonas Hofmann had a completely unfamiliar experience in the match at Wolfsburg: For the first time this season, the 31-year-old was not involved in a goal for the Werkself in a Bundesliga fixture. Also worth noting was the comeback of Patrik Schick who returned to the matchday squad for the first time in 226 days. "The match against Wolfsburg was too intense at the end to throw Patrik in again after such a long time out injured. But he will get to play, Patrik will still be really important for us," said Xabi Alonso.

STATS: BONIFACE BEST BALL WINNER

The stats highlight how tight the game in Wolfsburg was. VfL had the upper hand with shots on goal with 18 to 13, Bayer 04 had their noses in front in terms of possession (58%) and in pass completion (87% compared with 80%). The Werkself made a total of 622 passes (compared to 438 for Wolfsburg). The Leverkusen player covering the most ground was Granit Xhaka with 11.7 kilometres clcoked up and the fastest man on the pitch was again Jeremie Frimpong with a top speed of 35.7 kmph. The top player in winning possession was a striker: Victor Boniface won twelve duels with his opponents.

OUTLOOK: TWO HOME GAMES AGAINST QARABAG AND FREIBURG

Bayer 04 are faced with challenges in all three competitions over the next three weeks. The Werkself play Qarabag in the Europa League at the BayArena on Thursday 26 October with the game kicking off at 21.00 CEST. That is followed by a home fixture in the Bundesliga: Leverkusen entertain SC Freiburg on Sunday 29 October with the kick-off at 17.30 CET.