VfL Wolfsburg have thrown-off the speculation that they may rely too heavily on outgoing playmakers Ivan Perisic and Kevin De Bruyne by thumping a disappointing Shalke side 3-0 overnight.
Schalke’s poor display last weekend put real pressure on André Breitenreiter’s position at the helm, but early dominance set the scene for a ravaging Wolves attacking display, yet it was the defenders doing the damage. Christian Trasch’s inch-perfect cross to found Bas Dost in the 17th minute, before a handful of misses from Sane and Klass Jan Huntelaar let the hosts off easily before halftime.
It did not take long for the Wolves to add their second and third goals though, as Schalke were undone by some creative corner routines. Ricardo Rodriguez converted from the penalty spot and only two minutes later he assisted Timm Klose for a classy finish near at the near-post.
VfLWolfsburg
Koen Casteels – 7.5: Could have been tested further with little to do but watch the ball sail over and wide the whole night. Made his saves when he had to.
Ricardo Rodriguez – 9.5: If the 23-year-old is not in among the list of top five left-backs in the world then there needs to be more attention paid to the Bundesliga action. Brilliant in the defence and at the set-pieces, Rodriguez recorded an assist in a man of the match display.
Timm Klose – 8.5: Solid defensive display and a classy finish when required. Will be happy with the clean sheet
Naldo – 8.5: One would have been forgiven for thinking Naldo had pegged back a few years. The 32-year-old proved he had the pace to go with Sane and Choupo-Moting, and made a number of brilliant tackles and blocks over the 90 minutes.
Christian Trasch – 8.5: The chemistry between Trasch and Vieirinha gave both players freedom to create, providing the cross for the opening goal.
Luiz Gustavo – 7.5: An immense midfield presence doing just what was required as the Wolves cruised to victory.
Joshua Guilavogui – 7.0: Another big body to bully the likes of Draxler and Sane, but could have used a bit more attacking creativity. Was very solid defensively.
Daniel Caliguri – 7.0: A good performance returning as a starting midfielder, was unluck not to find his name on the scoresheet,
Max Kruse – 6.5: Was caught in the middle while Wolfsburg’s creative play came from the width.
Vieirinha – 7.5: Moving higher-up the pitch allowed his attacking nature to blossom. Worked well in combination with Trasch.
Bas Dost – 7.0: The better of the two Dutchmen, but had opportunities to score one or two more.
Substitutes
Nicklas Bendtner – 5.5: A lot of energy about his performance. Obviously wants more minutes.
Maximillian Arnold – 5.0: Did not get the necessary touches on the ball.
Andre Schurrle – 5.0: Good to see the German back on the pitch after a spell out with some injury.
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FC Schalke 04
Ralf Fahrmann – 3.0: Given nothing by his defenders and caught out on multiple occasions.
Sascha Riether – 4.5: Did what he could on the wing, but could stop little of what Wolfsburg provided up front.
Joel Matip – 4.0: Poor marking at set pieces left his goalkeeper very little protection.
Roman Neustadter – 5.0: A couple of handy tackles here and there, yet was let down once or twice by concentration.
Sead Kolasinac – 4.5: Unlucky to have given away a penalty when all of his teammates had switched-off, did not look comfortable facing some creative wide players
Dennis Aogo – 4.5: Will be looking for a shift back to his more comfortable fullback position as he was not able to take control in midfield.
Johannes Geis – 4.5: Could take some pointers from the midfield generals he lined-up against, unable to cut-down the domineering Wolves attack.
Leroy Sane – 6.5: Schalke’s best player, his pace found space in great positions. Like most forwards, really poor finishing let him down
Julian Draxler – 5.5: A poor display against a potential future employer. Was shielded well by Gustavo and Guilavogui
Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting – 5.0: Another pacey Shalke forward who disappointed their fans with a poor touch when it mattered most.
Klass-Jan Huntelaar – 4.5
The Dutman was not himself tonight, the ball avoided the net no matter what he tried. Will want to get off the mark if Schalke are going to avoid a poor season.
Substitutes
Leon Goretzka – 5.0: Did what he could in limited time on the field.
Franco Di Santo – 4.5: Tried hard but was unsuccessful against some great defending.
Max Meyer – 4.5: A wonderful attacking talent was left benched for a majority of the game.
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