Wolfsburg's Robin Knoche Has Much to Prove for Germany This Summer
Wolfsburg's German centre-back Robin Knoche, 23, was a big defensive talent when he became a Bundesliga regular.
Key word being was because Knoche is now facing question marks over his viability as a starter with Wolfsburg on the up and up.
This summer's European Under-21 Championship hands Knoche the chance to find form and prove himself to his club.
Knoche's Form Slump
Hovering above the Olympiastadion, the spidercam filmed Naldo and Timm Klose galvanising Wolfsburg's defence in their 3-1 DFB-Pokal final win over Borussia Dortmund.
Where was Knoche?
Donning a cap emblazoned with the word "King," Wolfsburg manager Dieter Hecking ruling Knoche to start and finish on the bench was vindicated.
Giggling at Bas Dost's awkward rapping and relishing the joyous celebration of Wolfsburg winning a trophy perhaps provided some solace for Knoche.
Six months earlier, Hecking had championed Knoche's elevation to German national team manager Joachim Low's squad.
"[Knoche's] nomination is confirmation and acknowledgement of his good, consistent performances for Wolfsburg," Hecking said, per the Bundesliga's website. "If he can do the same in a Germany shirt, Knoche could well be a mainstay for a long time to come."
It has been a rough end to what should have been a career-defining campaign for Knoche.
February 14, 2015.
Dancing his way past Roberto Hilbert's challenge, Kevin De Bruyne sent a low cross to Dost, whose flicked finish capped off a dominating first half—Bayer Leverkusen 0-3 Wolfsburg.
Leading into Matchday 21, Hecking had already dropped Knoche twice.
It was Hecking warning Knoche to shore up his defending.
Knoche and Wolfsburg's defence collapsed like a house of cards in the second half, conceding four goals.
Turned inside out by Heung-Min Son, Knoche's shoddy defending cost Wolfsburg.
Then Knoche inadvertently headed the ball in the direction of Karim Bellarabi, one of the quickest players in Europe, gifting Bayer Leverkusen another goal.
It was an inexplicable sequence of play from Knoche.
What saved Wolfsburg was Dost—cue the remixed song of Das Bo - Turlich Turlich—scoring four goals to win 5-4.
Kicker rate footballers on a scale of 1.0 - 6.0, the lower the better. Knoche received a 5.0, the worst rating for a Wolfsburg starter.
Knoche shared a 5.0 Kicker rating with Andre Schurrle, Dost, Josuha Guilavogui and Vieirinha when Wolfsburg were outclassed 4-1 by Napoli in the UEFA Europa League quarter-final first leg.
In the second leg, Knoche watched from the bench with Paul Seguin.
From being a possible starter for the German national team to sharing bench space with a reserve player making up the numbers—talk about a fall from grace.
Allowing Slawomir Peszko, who went goalless in 1000 minutes over 18 Bundesliga games, to zip in front, Knoche overcompensated and steered the ball into his own net.
Without that defensive miscue, Wolfsburg would have beaten Cologne, as opposed to drawing 2-2.
Knoche's 4.5 rating was the worst for a Wolfsburg starter.
Benched seven times in the Bundesliga and watching the DFB-Pokal final from the sidelines, Knoche is no longer the prodigal homegrown rising star.
Comparing Knoche To Mats Hummels
Despite being as talented as Hummels, Knoche is struggling to overcome a confidence crisis.
In one-on-one situations, Knoche only prevails 22 per cent of the time, per Wyscout.
| Tale Of The Tape | Mats Hummels | Robin Knoche |
| Age | 26 | 23 |
| Height | 6'3" | 6'3" |
| Weight | 203 lbs | 169 lbs |
Hummels is stockier, but Knoche is the same height and possesses a similar elegance when taking the ball out of defence.
Both are left-sided centre-backs.
Knoche starts 89 per cent of the time on the left while Hummels plays 93 per cent of the time on the same side, per Wyscout.
| 2014/15 Bundesliga | Mats Hummels | Robin Knoche |
| Pass Success % | 77.3 | 86 |
| Passes Per 90 | 62.8 | 63.9 |
| Long Pass Success % | 45.2 | 63.5 |
| Long Passes Per 90 | 5.4 | 6.5 |
| Key Passes Per 90 | 0.4 | 0.2 |
Both Hummels and Knoche are passing outlets from the back.
However, Knoche is superlative on the ball, more precise and less turnover-prone than Hummels.
There are contradictory features in Knoche's playing style.
He is so careful when he passes, yet the same concentration levels are not evident in his defending.
Whereas, there is a correlation between Hummels' passing and defending—gung-ho, high-risk, high-reward.
| 2014/15 Bundesliga | Mats Hummels | Robin Knoche |
| Tackles Per 90 | 2.6 | 1.4 |
| Tackles Won % | 69.4 | 70 |
| Interceptions Per 90 | 2.3 | 2.2 |
| Headers Won Per 90 | 6.5 | 4.2 |
| Headers Won % | 70.5 | 63.3 |
Neither Hummels nor Knoche have been dominant defenders statistically.
They share the adverse trait of lax defending aggravated by a knee-jerk reaction, which is why both have at times been defensive liabilities.
Subjectively speaking, Hummels and Knoche were not rated highly for their performances this season.
You can positively spin Hummels' season as he led Borussia Dortmund from relegation candidates to seventh place, though it has been underwhelming when you judge him as a FIFA World Cup champion.
Mirroring Hummels' worst attributes, Knoche could permanently lose his starting position next season with Wolfsburg aiming to topple Europe's elite.
"If I am playing well enough for [Wolfsburg], then hopefully [Low] will call me up again," Knoche said, per the German Football Association's website. "It's all down to me."
Using the word if suggests there was a fragment of uncertainty in Knoche believing in himself.
That shred of doubt mutated into a precipitous drop in form, creating an opening for Klose, who started the season as a backup defender.
Being on the outside looking in is an experience all-too familiar with Hummels, who was discarded by Bayern Munich.
"Players will only play if they fit into the [manager's] concept," Hummels said, per Freddie Rockenhaus at the Bundesliga's website. "You have to accept that."
It is down to Knoche to adapt to Hecking's plans moving forward.
Preparing for the UEFA European U-21 Championship, Knoche and countless other 22 and 23-year-old footballers will take advantage of the grey area in the tournament's age stipulations.
It's the extra playing time Knoche needs to compensate for his season of regression at Wolfsburg.
When not specified, statistics via WhoScored.com.
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