Entering May, the Bundesliga had only two rounds of matches left.
Wolfsburg traveled to Stuttgart, the capital of Baden-Württemberg, to face Stuttgart.
If they defeated Stuttgart or drew, they would secure third place in the Bundesliga and qualify for next season's Champions League, so this match was very important.
For Stuttgart, they were five points clear of the relegation zone, and securing one point in this match would guarantee their survival.
And it was a home game. Former Schalke coach Stevens, who only took over the team in March this season, fielded his strongest lineup.
Didavi, Cacau, Gentner, Rüdiger, and others... It's worth mentioning that Stuttgart also had a highly anticipated German rising star in their squad.
That was Timo Werner, also just eighteen years old!
Werner, who was promoted to the first team this season, was not only Stuttgart's youngest goalscorer but also scored a brace against Freiburg, setting the record for the youngest player to score a brace in the Bundesliga.
Many people regarded him as the future of German attacking football!
However, only Mark Lane knew that this fast German attacking star would, in the future, become a golden reconnaissance plane without bombs, only capable of scouting in front of the goal...
After the new coach Stevens took over, Stuttgart's form improved, and they started accumulating points.
Especially in the last seven rounds, they only lost two matches!
Coupled with playing at home, Stuttgart launched a fierce attack on Wolfsburg from the start.
In this match, Wolfsburg made minor rotations, and Malanda, Träsch, Knoche, and other players got starting opportunities.
And the "Wolfsburg Dancer" Mark Lane was again on standby as a substitute. However, no one expected that the aggressive home team would be dealt a heavy blow:
Less than seven minutes into the first half, Perisic broke through on the left to create a corner kick. The corner, taken by Ricardo Rodriguez, caused chaos in the Stuttgart penalty area.
After a clearance, the ball came to De Bruyne outside the box.
De Bruyne did not hesitate, unleashing a powerful shot with his instep directly into the top right corner of the goal!
Wolfsburg had a dream start!
Immediately after, De Bruyne faced significant restrictions in midfield.
Stuttgart clearly understood that De Bruyne was the attacking core of this Wolfsburg team; as long as his passing connections were stifled, Wolfsburg's offense would be frustrated.
As a result, two defensive midfielders repeatedly pressed him, preventing him from easily turning and delivering dangerous passes forward.
And the dense defense in the center forced De Bruyne to switch positions with Caligiuri on the right wing.
However, compared to Mark Lane, who preferred close-range passing and had good ball control, Caligiuri, after moving to the center, was somewhat at a loss when faced with the opponent's concentrated pressing in the middle.
After several double-teams, he repeatedly lost possession, giving the opponent several opportunities for immediate counterattacks.
Watching Caligiuri's performance after moving to the center, Hecking on the sidelines couldn't help but frown.
At this moment, ripples also formed in his heart:
"It turns out that not every player can play both as a winger and an attacking midfielder like Mark Lane and De Bruyne..."
Indeed.
With the development and progress of modern football, every position and responsibility on the football field has been functionally subdivided.
Wingers, whether inverted or traditional, primarily break through on the flanks, beat defenders, and then shoot or cross;
An attacking midfielder, also known as a number ten.
Further subdivided, there are classic attacking midfielders, false nines, deep-lying playmakers, attacking midfielders, etc.
But the main responsibility is to organize and connect in the center, either delivering dangerous passes or scoring crucial goals. Some talented players are versatile, capable of breaking through and delivering high-quality crosses from the wing, and also carrying the ball forward and delivering dangerous passes from the attacking midfield position.
For example, De Bruyne and Mark Lane.
But most players can only play one position.
Caligiuri's ball control was not as good as Mark Lane's, and his passing was not as good as De Bruyne's. Under dense central defense, he dared not hold the ball.
This is also why he didn't know how to play after switching positions with De Bruyne!
In the first half, both teams had their chances.
Wolfsburg had a slight advantage, repeatedly threatening Ulreich's goal through De Bruyne's passes and Ricardo Rodriguez's set-piece opportunities.
Stuttgart, on the other hand, mainly relied on midfield battles and counterattacks after winning possession, also coming close to scoring. After a brief halftime break, shortly after the second half began, Stuttgart launched a quick attack after a midfield interception.
Finally, Gentner dribbled into the penalty area and scored with a powerful shot!
The score on the field became one-all!
It's worth mentioning that Gentner, who once played for Wolfsburg and helped the team win the League title, did not celebrate after scoring.
Seeing his team repeatedly lose possession and control in midfield, Hecking made a decisive decision, substituting the underperforming Caligiuri and bringing on Mark Lane!
"In the sixtieth minute, Wolfsburg makes the first substitution!"
"Number 7 Caligiuri is replaced by Number 45 Mark Lane!"
After Mark Lane came on, De Bruyne immediately had a helper on the field.
Months of fighting side-by-side and their good personal relationship meant that Mark Lane and De Bruyne had excellent chemistry on the field.
Even without shouting, both knew what the other was going to do next.
As soon as De Bruyne got the ball, Mark Lane would immediately run into space to receive his pass.
And vice versa. The two frequently switched positions, and their short passing and movement combinations were as smooth as a laxative.
Under Mark Lane's huge gravitational pull, De Bruyne gained more space and was able to utilize his passing advantage in attack.
In the sixty-eighth minute, Mark Lane made a diagonal run into the channel, received a through ball from De Bruyne, and then smoothly executed a right-footed feint with a large body movement followed by a left-footed pull-back, beating "Mr. High Leg" Rüdiger, and scored with a low shot inside the penalty area!
In the seventy-ninth minute, it was again Mark Lane's breakthrough on the right wing that caused a foul. Ricardo Rodriguez's free-kick found Malanda in the penalty area, who headed it in to score his third goal of the season!
Ultimately, with goals from De Bruyne, Mark Lane, and Malanda, Wolfsburg defeated Stuttgart three-one at the Mercedes-Benz Arena, securing all three points!
This victory also ensured Wolfsburg's third-place finish in the League with one round to spare!
This meant that they would directly enter the group stage of the Champions League next season!
This also marked Wolfsburg's return to the Champions League group stage after four years, since the 2009-10 season!
At the same time, this was their best League performance since winning the title in the 2008-09 season!
Under the leadership of Allofs and Hecking, this young Wolfsburg team had already revealed fangs that would send shivers down the spine of the entire Bundesliga...
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