I'm really looking forward to this game. Last year's very deserved and surprising second placed team against most people's picks to nab that spot this season. Dortmund are playing football that is out of this world with a superb finisher and Wolfsburg have shown there is life after De Bruyne in the way Kruse has fit into the team and how they haven't foregone the kind of attractive football that made them finish so highly last season.
Looking at the home side first, I have to commend Hecking on the great work that he's done. With all the focus being on Bayern and Dortmund last season with Leverkusen being the third child, it was his team that came round where no one was looking. Playing great attacking football, with a silky passing game that encouraged players to dribble and be entertaining lead them to second as well as cup winners, with a convincing victory over Dortmund. A lot of those results however where due to the super season that their Belgian winger had.
If you took De Bruyne out of that Wolfsburg team, they would not have come second nor would they have won the cup. The crucial goals he scored as well as the vital assists that he gave were the bedrock of their success. I would have loved for him to stay, just for there to be some competition for Bayern, but City came with that fat cheque and De Bruyne wanted to prove himself to Mourinho. I think we all know who won that duel between Belgium and Portugal.
Wolfsburg have not waned and fallen apart since his departure. They are third in the league and right on the heels of Dortmund. Even though De Bruyne is a huge miss, Kruse has done really well playing as the new striker. Then we've got Marshall Mathers aka Bendtner who is still trying to prove to all of us that he's one of the greatest players in the world. He will go on forever trying to convince people, but at least he's been contributing positively, including getting that last minute equalizer against Bayern in the pre-season cup, as well as the winning penalty. With Dante at the back, Wolfsburg look good, and you can't forget what Draxler also brings to the team as well as one of my favorite Bundesliga players, Vierinho.
I think this will be a really great game. Two teams that play the kind of football that I like to see, neither wanting to sit back and put four buses in their penalty area. I'm leaning more towards Dortmund just because of the incredible force of Aubameyang who is surrounded by some of the best midfielders that money can buy in the game right now. Wolfsburg though are at home, and they know that they can get at that Dortmund defense. They work the wings well, and they've got the height and finishing qualities of Marshall Mathers or they can keep it on the ground where Kruse knows how to work the spaces to create chances for himself.
The midfield will be a nice battle. You have the more intense, workman presence of Gustavo in contrast to the vision of Gundogan. For Wolfburg it will be about restricting those quick passes from midfield that Dortmund like to play, to initiate quick attacks. For Dortmund, they have to be weary on those flanks, as Caliguri is a player who can do some great things when he's on his game and Vierinha has great ability and balance on the ball. But I think it's going to be a tug of war, because both these teams are pretty similar in quality, despite the amount of goals Dortmund have been able to put in. So I say it will be a one goal swing. To who, I'm not sure yet...I'll send y'all a memo when that vision comes.
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HH
