When Jose Mourinho sold Kevin de Bruyne, 24, to VFL Wolfsburg in January 2014 after a troubled twoyear period at Stamford Bridge, it was seen by many as a backward step benefitting neither the player nor the club because of the lack of playingtime whilst at Chelsea.
But, the Belgian midfielder dispelled the myth, and in some style, with a rich haul of 10 goals and 20 assists in 34 league games. It was easily, and statistically, the best record among Europe's top five leagues last season as the Wolves finished runnerup to Bayern Munich.
Though it's fashionable to attribute the success of the club to the huge investments made by its parent unit, Volkswagen, the excellent leadership tagteam of coach Dieter Hecking and sporting director Klaus Allofs added a tactical edge to Wolfsburg's game. Lining up in a 4231 with an emphasis on pressing high up the pitch similar to Jurgen Klopp’s tactic of ‘Geigenpressing’ which he used so well with Borussia Dortmund over the years Wolfsburg was exceptional at transitioning defence into attack in the blink of an eye, often striking early in games. Further, in the final third, it emulated a style of play similar to Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid combining the prolific, and reborn, Dutch striker Bas Dost (16 goals in 21 appearances) with a creative attacking midfielder in de Bruyne, much in the same way as Mario Mandzukic did with Antoine Griezmann.
The German Cup success over Borussia Dortmund was its first piece of silverware since winning the league in 20082009 a win dedicated to prominent squad member Junior Malanda, who died tragically in a car crash in January.
The worrylines: Wolfsburg needs to push on from last season and take the fight to Bayern. A title challenge isn't impossible considering the array of talent in its ranks Andre Schurrle, Daniel Caligiuri, Luiz Gustavo and Ricardo Rodriguez, besides Dost and de Bruyne, are all capable of holding their own at the top level. Its Champions League campaign will also be an interesting one to follow. Expect a few surprises.
"Wolfsburg can't yet be mentioned in the same breath as Bayern, but they have more than fulfilled expectations. They played consistently, with a lot of quality and great goalscoring threat. A player like Kevin de Bruyne is well on his way to becoming a very big name. This is a side who have continued growing and I think they are going to be there or thereabouts for many years to come." Ottmar Hitzfeld
Transfer activity:
Signed: Max Kruse (From 'Gladbach)
Francisco Rodriguez (From FC Zurich)
