Struggling Stars

Two scenes from Wolfsburg's 3-1 loss to Stuttgart on Saturday illustrate why this season's Wolves are not the same breed that won the title in 2008-9.

Three minutes into the match, a nervous Stuttgart defense gifted striker Grafite the ball alone in front of the opposing keeper. A few months ago, the Brazilian probably would have blasted the ball home. This time round, he indecisively tried to pass - and subsequently lost - the ball.

Then, in the 85th minute, with the Wolves pressing for an equalizer, Edin Dzeko hit the post, only to see his strike partner fire a convertible rebound into the stratosphere above Stuttgart's stadium.

Two bad, bad misses from the Bundesliga's leading goal scorer last season, and an unnecessary loss for a team that steamrolled to win after win in the winter and spring of 2009.

Wolfsburg strengthened their squad after their title victory. The only significant departure from the team was coach Felix Magath, who went to Schalke. They've also been spared major injuries.

So what is the Wolves' problem: a loss of confidence or too much tinkering by Magath's replacement, Armin Veh? The Stuttgart match suggests the trouble is bit of both.

Double-edged sword

After taking over the reins, Veh faced the predicament of how to improve a team that had just exceeded fans wildest expectations. He found - correctly - that for all the Wolves' offensive bite, the team could do better with its short-passing game.

The problem was and is that the attempted adjustments have revealed other deficiencies in Wolfsburg's squad. Passing around more in midfield means getting more players up the pitch, and that has exposed the Wolves' back four.

Wolfsburg has conceded 35 goals compared to 26 at the same point last season. After the Stuttgart match, Veh termed his team's defensive performance “dilettantish,” adding to reporters that “the number of goals we let in is deadly for a coach.”

But Veh's new approach is part of the problem. Not only has it unsettled a serviceable defense, it also plays away from the strengths of the squad's heart and soul, midfielder Zvjezdan Misimovic, who is probably the best long passer in the Bundesliga.

It was long balls from the Bosnian that initiated the surprise attacks which confounded opponents last season and which led to bags of goals by Grafite and Dzeko. And the lack of those long balls seems to have affected Wolfsburg's once-dynamic duo.

Out of sorts

Of all Wolfburg's players, Grafite probably misses Magath the most.

A bullish center forward in the classic mold, the Brazilian is at his best when he can control the ball and use his size to power past defenders.

When things get tight and precision passing is needed, however, Grafite often looks clumsy and slow. So difficult was the transition to Veh's style of football that the coach took the unusual step last fall of ordering the striker to take a few weeks off.

The rest hasn't restored Grafite's killer instinct. And it seems to have undermined the confidence of Dzeko in his strike partner.

The Bosnian has continued to score goals for fun and got the Wolves back in the Stuttgart match nearly single-handedly with a long-range blast in the 65th minute. But Dzeko has increasingly taken to shooting rather than passing in an attempt to turn round games.

That makes the Wolves easier to defend against, and the results haven't come. Wolfsburg haven't won since round 12 - despite playing against mediocre opposition.

Dzeko remains, rightly, one of the most coveted strikers in European football, and the Wolves only retained his services this season with a hefty pay raise and a buy-out option in his contract.

If the team's downward trend continues, Dzeko could well decide a move sooner rather than later is in his best interests. And that raises questions about the club's long-term prospects.

Uncertain future

Heading into this season, it was easy to picture Wolfsburg establishing itself among Germany's football elite. The squad was young, and the club could and can count on a big-name sponsor not afraid to spend to get results.

But the departure of Magath, who was also Wolfsburg's commercial manager as well as their coach, raised questions about whether the team, which hails from a provincial factory town, could attract the sort of glamorous talent needed to bid for glory year in, year out.

To fill the gap, Wolfsburg have hired Dieter Hoeness, who spent twelve years at the managerial helm of Hertha Berlin. He chose to stress the positives after the team's disappointing 2010 start.

“The team showed it's capable of responding [to setbacks],” Hoeness told reporters after the Wolves almost-comeback. “For stretches, that looked like true football.”

The first task Hoeness faces is to beef up the Wolves' back four with a world-class defender, and Hoeness has not ruled out a purchase before the transfer window closes at the end of January.

Hoeness has very good connections, especially when it comes to acquiring players from South America. But while he did establish Berlin in the first division, he failed to take the club from the German capital to the top echelon of German soccer and was often criticized for his personnel decisions and economic policies.

And according to various newspaper reports, Hoeness may be considering firing Veh and replacing him with Huub Stevens, who coached Hertha during Hoeness' tenure there.

So there's a lot of uncertainty right now in Wolfsburg, as the team that surprised everyone in 2008-9 tries to prove that last season was no fluke.

Author: Jefferson Chase
Editor: Rob Turner