Pre-Match Notes: After a 3-3 draw against Paris FC in the first leg of the UEFA Women’s Champions League qualification, VfL Wolfsburg are back to face RB Leipzig in the Frauen Bundesliga regular season. Currently, Wolfsburg remain undefeated in their last three regular season matches, but questions are being raised regarding a prevalent issue plaguing this Wolfsburg team since last season.

Wolfsburg’s number one underlying issue is their defending. Wolfsburg has talented forwards, strikers, and midfielders, but what’s going to hurt this team this season, what’s holding this team back is their backline and defense. You can have great goalkeepers in goal, but if they’re not being defended properly, if they don’t have support from their backline, there’s not much they can do. It’s only a matter of time before they get scored on. There needs to be consistency when it comes to Wolfsburg’s defending and backline. I’ve noticed in some games the backline will do really well, other times they’re struggling, other times they don’t really have much to do because the opposing team isn’t challenging them.

That’s kind of the problem. The reason why Wolfsburg is having trouble building that consistency in the defense and backline is because they’re not being challenged enough. The only time the backline faces challenges is when Wolfsburg goes up against other attack-heavy teams like Bayern München, Eintracht Frankfurt, Hoffenheim, and even RB Leipzig could cause some problems for Wolfsburg in this match if they’re not careful. When Wolfsburg plays against other attack-focused teams, then we really start to see the problems in the backline. We can all say Wolfsburg needs to work on their defending and backline all we want, but the reality is it’s hard for this team to do that because they’re not consistently being challenged defensively. It’s not really anyone’s fault. If the opposing team isn’t going to challenge them, then there’s nothing Wolfsburg can do. Wolfsburg is just sticking to what they know, and what they’re consistently good at, which is their midfield and attack.

When it comes to this match against RB Leipzig, Leipzig could very well pose a challenge to the Wolfsburg backline if there are bad giveaways in the midfield and near Wolfsburg’s defensive third or if there is a pass or through ball behind the backline. However, I could also see Wolfsburg having the majority of possession and control in this match. When it comes to the midfield and attack, as I mentioned in my Wolfsburg articles against FC Nürnberg and Paris FC, I want to see more when it comes to services. I want to see more urgency and pressing in the attack. At the same time, I want to see better connection in the box and between the attacking players.

Line Up Notes:

Starting Eleven: We have Lisa Schmitz in the goal. For defenders, Lynn Wilms, Kathy Hendrich, Marina Hegering, and Felicitas Rauch. For midfielders and forwards, Lena Oberdorf, Lena Lattwein, Jule Brand, Svenja Huth, Chantal Hagel, and Ewa Pajor.

Interesting line-up. Starting goalkeeper, Merle Frohms, is still unavailable due to a concussion last Monday. She is likely to miss Wolfsburg’s second-leg qualification match against Paris FC and Wolfsburg’s next regular season match against Hoffenheim. Merle is still with the team in spirit, probably yelling at the TV, yelling at the defenders.

My concerns still lie with the defense and backline. There should be good support in the defense with Oberdorf, Lattwein, and Hagel being able to drop back when needed. If Wolfsburg can keep possession and control in the midfield and attack, then it’ll take some of the pressure off the backline. However, the backline still needs to be alert and aware, and they must respond to RB Leipzig’s counterattacks and transitions in an effective way that will keep Schmitz from being put in dangerous and risky situations. When it comes to the midfield and attack, it still comes down to the connection between the attacking players, along with the connection in the box. Hopefully, we can see that connection between Brand, Huth, Hagel, and Pajor.

First Half Notes:

Wolfsburg 1-0.

It’s not a bad first half for Wolfsburg. RB Leipzig is definitely not making things easy for Wolfsburg. They’ve been a good challenge for Wolfsburg in this half. I would say Wolfsburg has been doing well when it comes to keeping possession and control in this match. There have been some scary moments for the backline, but not all that much. Again, Wolfsburg has been maintaining control pretty well overall. There is a lot of battling going on in the midfield. It seems like a lot of action has been taking place in the midfield, with both sides being able to win possession. However, Wolfsburg seemed to fare better in the midfield than RB Leipzig because they were able to connect with one another and get their attack forward.

When it comes to Wolfsburg’s attack, the players are connecting with each other. The touches between the attacking players have been good, but the connection in the box still needs work. The attack is getting there, but I want to see more connection in the attack, more connection in the box, and more attempts on goal. Besides that, this is a somewhat better performance from Wolfsburg than their match against FC Nürnberg. Hopefully, Wolfsburg can grab a safety goal or two in the second half.

Second Half/Closing Notes:

VfL Wolfsburg wins 2-0.

RB Leipzig definitely didn’t make it easy for Wolfsburg in this half, but neither did Wolfsburg make it easy for themselves. I thought the first half was better than the second half. In the second half, Wolfsburg just looked sloppy, especially in the midfield. There were too many bad turnovers and giveaways in the midfield. Control in the midfield just seemed better in the first half than it did in the second half.

I feel like there needed to be more control and urgency from Wolfsburg, given the fact that RB Leipzig was on the attack and putting Wolfsburg under more pressure. But there just didn’t seem to be enough control from the midfield. Perhaps Wolfsburg was trying to play like they were in the first half; however, RB Leipzig decided to change up their playstyle going into the second half. Wolfsburg needed to change their mentality and perhaps focus on having better control.

At the same time, Wolfsburg did get lucky in the second half when it came to Hegering’s handball in the box. The referee said it came off Hegering’s knee, but it didn’t look like it from the replay. It should’ve been a penalty for RB Leipzig, and Wolfsburg is lucky it wasn’t called. If RB Leipzig were given the penalty, it might’ve tipped the momentum into RB Leipzig’s favor, and the result of this match could’ve been something entirely different. When it comes to the backline, Wolfsburg cannot have their defenders making mistakes like that, especially in the box. There needs to be better discipline from the defenders in Wolfsburg’s upcoming games.

This wasn’t a bad performance from Wolfsburg. It was better than the match against FC Nürnberg, but it still leaves much to be desired. With a team of this caliber and quality, you expect so much better.