Bundesliga 2023/24 - Wolfsburg or Bayern? - It's the same question as the years before

Frankfurt...

This entire season now defined by them playing really well Vs tough opposition, but not having enough quality within attacking phases to score the goals their general play deserves.

I've said it numerous times this season, and it needs to be said again... if this team is going to reach full potential, the club will need to ask some tough questions about the quality of Arnautis, or the quality of the players within his strange system...

Seeing Doorsoun the player of the match, and Grawe (again) the best mid-fielder on display in this particular contest, it's constantly frustrating knowing Frankfurt's attack will always ruin so many of this teams promising positions, by remaining completely incapable of knowing how/when to shoot at goal...

In the end, the battle of the bad formations part 3, what I speculated would probably happen did in fact take place. But damn... if they do manage to qualify for the UWCL, this idea a trio of CAM's as your teams attack can succeed needs to stop, with Frankfurt bringing a real international quality #9 to their club ASAP!

 

Brand didn't play as well as Endemann though..., with you surely understanding why both players will always have to compete for match time, no? Seeing how they play for the same club, and the same wnt, in the same positions lol.

Plus Brand's general game IQ still very low compared to equally young wide forward peers like Endemann, SJJ, and Bühl; where moving into central areas at the wrong time, often sees Brand lose possession at the cost of opponents making dangerous counter attacks.

For me though, it's crazy thinking how many people would sleep on the true potential of Endemann, as she's already destroyed her entire club career record with Essen, and currently set to beat both far more hyped SJJ, and Brand's best seasons with Wolfsburg, while barely starting games for her new team too..

If Pajor - Popp - Sellner the best attacking trio Wolfsburg could start, and Brand - SJJ - Endemann the next in line... seeing Endemann's first season with Wolfsburg, I begin to wonder if it's actually Endemann next season who joins Pajor and Popp in the starting attack, while the club waits on the post pregnancy career decisions of Sellner...

 

Stop... you can't keep using this same BS reasoning for every result that you don't like lol.... Essen's ENTIRE season up until this cup semi final, filled with highly impressive performances that at NO stage ever hinted at their weaker professional status holding them back through 90 mins of football.

Prior to the cup semi final blowout, Essen's biggest defeat this season happening at home, as they'd lose 1-3 Vs Wolfsburg. And this in a season their defence also joint 3rd best in the league too. Highlighting how ridiculous it is to imply such a nonsense theory of them not having enough time to practice before facing Wolfsburg in the cup...

LOL... Essen beating Frankfurt match day 1 of the season, also beating Hoffenheim 0-3 away from home, and not long ago going to Bayern proving how overrated Bayern's mid-field is, by controlling proceeding for a full 45 mins of the 1st half, before eventually falling to a 2-0 defeat lol.

But now... only now after 17 matchday's, and a cup run to the semi finals where they'd also defeat Leverkusen, now we throw out the idea Essen are handicapped by a lower rated professional status...

And clearly you don't seem to follow the French cup, or you'd have noticed until 2020 Lyon managed to reach 9 consecutive finals, with PSG beating a 2nd division side 8-0 in 2021, before Lyon would return to lift their trophy last season. So lets not pretend Germany some unique scenario here...

Insights... Try this. Find a hard acholic drink, and take a sip every time this guy mentions random nonsense about Bayern, or talks about Bayern players during any match involving Wolfsburg... I guarantee you'll be dead before HT lol...

 

Anybody else get the feeling Lohmann's just resigned herself to a potential 3 year club/wnt career hiatus... A CM/CAM who previously looked like being another Oberdorf level talent, now relegated to being a bench player for a club, who's somehow come to the conclusion Sam Kerr a better CM option now.., as they also bring Oberdorf to their CM next season too lol.

Bayern seemingly convincing Lohmann to sign a new contract, that only keeps her in the exact same position that saw her initially hesitant on wanting to extend her contract with the club... The fall from a 2020/21 producing 15 goals, 6 assists, as a CM/CAM within a title wining/UWCL semi finalist season. To 2023/24 so far producing 0 assists, 0 goals, in a title winning season where she playing predominantly from the right of Bayern's attack lol...


And knowing how much Gräwe continues to improve, all set to be joined with Senß next season. While a very underrated Minge will be playing in Wolfsburg's CM next to Lattwein, I don't see how Lohmann continues being part of the wnt in the Wuck era.

Däbritz, Magull, Oberdorf, Nüsken, Lattwein, Gräwe, Senß, Minge, all likely playing regular football. It even harder to believe Lohmann competing with Bühl, Brand, Dallmann, Endemann, Alber, as a wide forward either... Without injury, Germany might have just lost a genuine elite young CM talent for 2-3 years..

 

Oh.. and it appears Huth isn't done with football just yet, as she recently openly discussed her intent to continue playing for Wolfsburg beyond this season, to place a rather different perspective on her decision to quit the wnt way before the Olympic team even announced.

Personally... I don't believe we should see the same situation with Popp, Hegering, or Hendrich, as their form leans towards them being nowhere near considering retirement from the wnt. But with Huth stepping away from the wnt, looking at her form I honestly expected her to step away from Wolfsburg too...

 

well, it would seem that Endemann indeed may join Popp in the starting attack next season... as Wolfsburg at that point will be one forward short...

https://www.braunschweiger-zeitung....ar-der-VfL-Frauen-steht-vor-dem-Absprung.html

 

For English language people, Soccerdonna Facebook meme, has an rumor that WOB wants to sell her off for $500K(though no buyer is mentioned)
————————-

another rumor; Duisburg’s GK Mahmutovic has signed with Bayern

 

Well... if she does leave, I say good for her. Pajor signing for Wolfsburg as a teen, spending 8 years with big highs, and recently major lows, also dealing with long term injury in that time too, I think it's fair to say she's been far more loyal than many expect some one of her quality to be.

But leaving Wolfsburg to join the worlds clout factor league aka WSL, in my opinion a huge error.... As her desire to win a UWCL should really see her join a strong Euro side that can actually provide this opportunity before she hits 30.

So knowing in the absence of Pajor, and Popp, Wolfsburg have still managed to find success with other forwards who will score a lot of goals. Should her 500k clause be met, I feel like most people within the club will fully understand Pajor leaving.

The cycle of rebuilding a team, might actually need Wolfsburg replacing one, or maybe even both of Popp and Pajor now...

 

Pajor - Popp - Sellner, should have been Wolfsburg's main front three now.... but we've barely seen it outside of a few games.

Pajor with 25 goals last season, Popp 24 goals last season, Sellner 24 goals in her first season with the club. While Brand - SJJ - Endemann nowhere near matching this level of productivity (yet), it does feel like this young trio the obvious future of this teams attack...

So with Popp 33 now, Pajor 27 entering her prime years but constantly dealing with injury, not even knowing if Sellner returning after pregnancy. It obvious the vultures constantly who always circling this team looking for talent, would make Pajor a prime target to leave this season.

I've discussed this being something that really needed to happen... but I'm still shocked to see it openly discussed as a rumour now, watching Bayern's head of recruitment constantly looking outside this league more and more right now...

 

Hansen, Harder, Fischer, Keßler, Schult, would all leave Wolfsburg as players many felt irreplaceable, and yet it's this season where I think the absence of Rauch might be the most significant missing piece I've seen this club have to deal with...

Rauch leaving for the NWSL before the winter break, is still Wolfsburg's highest rated FB this season lol... having barely featured for them ... It really tells you where some of Wolfsburg biggest issues are right now.

 

@hotjam2 I see it's already paying off for Fox being part of the WSL marketing machine... now proclaimed the best FB in the world after a random cup final victory for Arsenal over Chelsea...

The moment I saw Walti a few years removed from Potsdam being rated as one of the worlds best CM's by English media, I knew it would only get infinitely worse over time lol.

But only a few months removed from the NWSL, playing within a non UWCL playing 3rd place WSL Arsenal side, we're already seeing Fox hailed as the worlds best FB...

 

most US fans will say Nighswonger(Fc Gotham) is an even better FB(she’s got an Spanish coach).
Must say though some boldness from USWNT in calling up six Euro based players including youthful newbies Albert, Johannes & Gaetino(in my book, nowhere near quite ready for prime time)

the Arsenal/Chelsea was an 120 minutes bore fest. Hayes playing near bunker defense with the bottom 8 in rectangular shape that barely broke rank—-probably something Essen needed to do the other day though, lol

give Hayes credit for loving her some Nuskin—I mean turning her one day into CB, then into an striker next outing shows how much faith she got in her…FAITH someone you would wish upon Lohmann with an similar coach

I haven’t seen any NWSL highlights of Rauch, but Maxi Rauch been lighting up nam bit; got one goal already and twice charged up from her FB position to cross kicked what turned into a goal. So she basically instigated 3 of 4 of so far of her Red Stars club goals

 

@Batfink notice the ingenius of Jule Brand, she engages with five opposing players at midfield & still got the speed to race downfield & score
(52) Jule Brand ist so gut - YouTube
her speed set the pace vs Essen the other day

 

Fox looks like a good FB, but I just find it hilarious how quickly players like her will see their PR stock rise thanks to playing for WSL clubs; as I'm here arguing why someone like Gwinn is genuinely elite, seeing her still only 24yo having featured among FIFA/UEFA best of 11's since a teen...

And with Hayes set to take over you wnt, regardless of age/experience I think you should get used to seeing a regular flow of young Euro based US players finding their way into future USwnt squads...

Honestly, I think Essen (like many people) missed a fact of Wolfsburg's recent back to back defeats still saw them dominating possession, while creating more chances than Hoffenheim, and Bayern, to only have everyone run with a misguided narrative Wolfsburg's offense no longer a serious threat lol...

Hoffenheim's victory Vs Wolfsburg seeing them somehow only concede 1 goal from Wolfsburg's 34 chances..., with Bayern managing a similar feat while having less of the ball, creating less chances, but coming away with an even more impressive 0-4 end result lol.

Even with their various issues as a team creating wildly inconsistent form, Wolfsburg's ability to effectively transition between defence and attack, still having them able to produce football that reminds you why they held a 2-0 lead at HT in last seasons UWCL final...

From minute 1 of the cup semi final, you could just sense Essen likely to be the next unfortunate side to feel the results of what happens when this flawed Wolfsburg side has a good day.

 

Hayes always seems to have a lot of negative things to say about German football, while hypocritically actively seeking to recruit German players, knowing German players actually massively underrated, typically producing strong performances on the UWCL/international stage.

Making the latest narrative Hayes has instantly improved Nüsken nothing but annoying to me lol. Having seen a younger Nüsken at Frankfurt producing more impressive performances as CM/DM within a comparatively (back then) weaker Frankfurt side.

You put Nüsken into any strong UWCL level side not named Chelsea, I think you see the same or better coming from her right now. Knowing Nüsken's positive wnt form also down to her actually playing in a CM role now, instead of MVT's idiotic CB only designation.

Straus era Bayern PR team really has everyone believing their pre Straus era players weren't good lol.... Rall spending a number of seasons being one of the 1.Bundesliga's most effective goal scorers, I'm not shocked to hear she's repeating the same trick within the NWSL.

So from having people want to believe Kumagai, Glas, Magull, were never really that good. To having people thinking Lohmann just an ordinary squad player. It makes sense people would forget a lower profile Rall was ever truly effective enough to be Bayern's 2nd top league scorer in 2021/22...

 

This is great when it works... but your missing the other 10 times she'll do this, and it results in her losing the ball to see her team suffer counter attacks they'll typically concede shots on goal...

Here one highlight both revealing, and removing, all context of why Brand remains such a hugely frustrating player for club and country lol.

The real question this entire sequence should raise, is why does Brand need to beat 4 players in mid-field, when her position in this match actually meant to be wide left within a front 3 lol....

Hansen joining Wolfsburg at a similar age, would leave the club producing a ridiculous 30+ assists in a single season...; and I'm thinking this is how we should be analysing Brand's development with the same club.

Still only 21, she has plenty of time to develop into the player many feel she should be... meaning I don't personally see this goal as the best example of what Brand provides as an offensive talent. Unlike Bühl, Endemann, and SJJ, who compete with Brand as wide players who all legitimately function best in shooting scenarios/scoring goals.

We'll all know Brand's really arrived, when her in game tactical IQ allows her to beat fewer players to produce what appears to be really simple passes for others to score goals...