Sealing second place was merely a formality for Wolfsburg, as the marauding Wolves were held to a draw by the brave FC Koln.
The match had little to offer for the Bundesliga table, a Ausburg hammering of Monchegladbach did the work for Wolfsburg to seal runners-up and with that attention shifted towards silverware in their game against Dortmund next week. Dieter Hecking withheld no punches from his lineup, perhaps making sure the squad continues to hold up match fitness.
Koln themselves would be happy with the result after a largely disappointing season towards the bottom of the table, a promising start and a bit of luck enabled them to display a strong character in an encounter not many would have predicted them to fare so well in. Yuya Osako got the game going with a wonderfully placed shot giving them the early lead.
Wolves regular keeper Diego Benaglio was sidelined for the match and it was not a healthy start for Max Grun. The tenacity from the visitors took control of the game and soon goals to Luiz Gustavo and Ivan Perisic strangled back the lead. The final score came from an unlucky deflection for Robin Knoche, and own goal Grun could do little about. The end result indicative of a pretty average affair for both teams.
Old Wolves Missing
It may not be the end of this season, but one day soon both Benaglio and Naldo will have to retire. The Wolves need to start to make the most of their presence in their ranks. Players like Timm Klose and Robin Knoche are both quite young and could use the experience of Naldo going forward into their careers. The same could be said for Benaglio and his role in mentoring Grun and returning loanee Koen Casteels. With a cup final to play, Hecking may just have been managing his older stock to be fit for a game that actually counted for something. But it was evident that the Wolves were lacking their two big leaders.
The exclusion of their Swiss shot-stopper and their level headed centre-back is not a common sight. Even at age 32 Naldo only missed two games this season (32/34 games), one through suspension and the last against Koln, no doubt highlighting his importance as a leader for a young lineup. The same is true for Bengalio, the Wolves captain. At 31 years of age, Benaglio (31/34 games) too is getting towards the latter stages of his career, injury problems kept him out for the first few games and affected his performance at the start of the season, once he found form so did the rest of the team.
[interaction id=”5562b4dc28430a5757c94b1b”]
Mediocre season for Koln
Koln’s season was not one they would have enjoyed, a shaky end with relegation looming before a couple of more promising performances saved the proud club. With relegation avoided for at least another season, Koln are facing a big battle to keep some of their up and coming talents. Striker Anthony Utah has already agreed to a Werder Bremen move and his presence up-forward will be missed. The young striker netted 10 goals this campaign, more than double that of his closest teammate, as well as laying on three assists.
A Tottenham Hotspur raid has also led to the departure of promising centre-back Kevin Wimmer. The 22-year-old Austrian international was tempted with a move to the premier league, leaving behind a season of anguish and disappointment. Failure to keep a hold of their young players may become a recurring theme if next seasons results do not paint a kinder picture.
The final game against dortmund
The attention now of the Bundesliga world turns to a exciting cup tie between the Wolves and Borussia Dortmund. Both teams have much to play for and over the past few weeks were given chances to rest key players and examine each others’ lineups.
Diego Benaglio will be looking to recover in time for the game in order to secure up the Wolves goal. The domestic runners-up will be looking to cap of a remarkable year, but getting past Dortmund in Jurgen Klopp’s final game at the helm will be no easy feat. The return of Marco Reus on the weekend will look to add that extra bit of excitement to a match that will be a great deal more fiery than last weekends affair.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
