Bundesliga: Wolfsburg are nowt without Wout Weghorst

Few players have taken to life in the Bundesliga quite like Wout Weghorst. Brought in boasting a half-decent scoring record – 45 goals in 86 appearances for AZ Alkmaar – the 27-year-old is now starting to carve out a reputation as one of the most prolific Dutchmen to ever grace Germany’s top flight.

Weghorst netted 17 times in a debut season in which player and club blew all expectations out of the water, clinching a top six finish less than 12 months after needing to survive a relegation play-off with Holstein Kiel to retain their top-tier status.

In the current campaign, while Robert Lewandowski, Timo Werner and Paco Alcacer’s goal-scoring exploits have grabbed the headlines, Weghorst has quietly amassed three in four games – including Friday’s all-important equalizer against Düsseldorf.

Raising the curtain on Matchday 4, Wolfsburg passed up the chance to go temporarily top of the table, drawing 1-1 with Fortuna, though had every right to feel aggrieved given that there were questions about the legitimacy of the hosts’ opener.

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  Bundesliga Matchday 4 in pictures

  Fortuna Düsseldorf 1-1 Wolfsburg

  Josip Brekalo and Wout Weghorst combined well to rescue a point on the road for Wolfsburg, after underdogs Fortuna Düsseldorf took an early home lead. The hosts put up an impressive fight, also looking extremely dangerous with direct counterattacking football when the opportunity presented itself. Wolfsburg missed a chance to (briefly) move top of the table dropping points on Friday.

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  Bundesliga Matchday 4 in pictures

  Bayern vs. Leipzig at the top of the table

  The two top teams go head to head, as do two obvious candidates to wind up as the Bundesliga’s top scorer this season, Robert Lewandowski and Timo Werner. Both Leipzig’s primary goal threat and their new coach, Julian Nagelsmann, have been courted by Bayern in the past. This is a prime early opportunity to gauge whether Leipzig are ready to take the next step with Nagelsmann at the helm.

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  Bundesliga Matchday 4 in pictures

  Dortmund vs. Leverkusen — ‘Bravertz’ meet as enemies

  One of the stories of last season was surely Julian Brandt and Kai Havertz’s attacking midfield “bromance”. The pair were reunited as teammates for a precious few minutes this week in Germany jerseys; but now they will meet as direct rivals in Dortmund, after Brandt’s summer transfer to BVB. Excitingly, the match-up pits two attacking teams with defensive issues against each other.

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  Bundesliga Matchday 4 in pictures

  Cologne vs. Gladbach: Hennes’ derby

  No, the Cologne-Gladbach rivalry isn’t all about a goat. But it is about what many people in Cologne and Gladbach alike might consider *the GOAT*, legendary player and coach Hennes Weisweiler, who was pivotal in establising both teams among Germany’s elite in the 1970s. Expect a raucous atmosphere and some tough tackles in what’s surely one of the top games of the year for both sets of fans.

In the build-up to Niko Gießelmann’s stunning strike — his first ever goal in the Bundesliga — replays suggested that the ball my have crossed the line with Matthias Zimmermann in possession.

“Quite simply and clearly, the ball was out,” said an exasperated Weghorst when talking to DAZN after the game. “I know it’s not easy making decisions like that, but I could see it from a good two meters away. [Josip] Brekalo knew it and he was right next to it. I don’t need to see another replay. I know it was out.”

Raising his teammates’ game

Fortunately for Wolfsburg, their star striker was on hand to repair the damage. Weghorst has now had a hand in 20 goals since the start of 2019 – a figure only matched by reigning Bundesliga top scorer Lewandowski, but the fate of the team took the gloss off any personal positives.

“It’s a positive thing,” Weghorst told DAZN. “It’s super and I’m happy about it, but it’s hard to take any joy from stuff like that tonight.”

An unorthodox player who never came through a youth academy, Weghorst’s ability to consistently get among the goals is impressive, but his ability to raise the performances of those around him makes him irreplaceable for the Wolves.

The latest beneficiary on Friday night was Josip Brekalo, who struggled to assert himself under previous head coaches, but is enjoying a new lease of life under Oliver Glasner, appointed in the summer. The dynamic winger’s assist drew high praise from a striker with exacting standards.

“What Josip did [for my goal] was super,” continued Weghorst. “We’ve been building up a real rapport recently. We’re training a lot together, we’re talking a lot together. He wins his challenge well, produces a super nutmeg and he put the ball on a plate. It’s my job to put it in the back of the net.”

Here, you see Weghorst literally lifting up the goal’s creator Josip Brekalo, encouraging teammates to congratulate the architect rather than the builder

It was a job he did with unerring efficiency last season as his goals helped Wolfsburg secure a return to the continental stage in the UEFA Europa League. Despite Glasner’s new style requiring time to take full effect, the aims are no less lofty this season.

“For me, we’ve let two points slip, just like we did two weeks ago — and now it’s happened again,” bemoaned Weghorst. “I think with the team we’ve got and the targets we’ve set ourselves, we can’t be happy with just one point.”

A winning mentality that has been sorely lacking at times in Wolfsburg, further proof that Weghorst’s goals aren’t the only reason he’s crucial to the Wolves realizing their ambitions in 2019-20.

Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/bundesliga-wolfsburg-are-nowt-without-wout-weghorst/a-50426068?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf