Wolfsburg vs. Bayern Munich: Winners and Losers from Bundesliga Game

In the first game after the Bundesliga's winter break, Wolfsburg handed Bayern Munich their first loss of the league campaign by way of a 4-1 thumping at the Volkswagen Arena. 

Bas Dost and Kevin De Bruyne scored two goals each for the hosts, who are now eight points behind Bayern in the race for the league title. 

Juan Bernat scored the lone goal for Bayern, but that was one of the few positives manager Pep Guardiola was able to take away from the defeat. 

Here's a look at the winners and losers from Wolfsburg's big win to open the second half of the Bundesliga season. 

Winner: Bas Dost

Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

Bas Dost scored two strong strikes in the first half to open up the Wolfsburg lead.

The Dutchman first got on the board in the fourth minute after his teammates were able to open up the Bayern defense on a counter. After Kevin De Bruyne set him up with a fantastic pass, all Dost had to do was slot the ball into the right corner of the net. 

In the 45th minute, Dost scored his second goal with a splendid effort that banked off the right post and into the back of the net. 

The performance from the forward came at the perfect time for Wolfsburg, who sold Ivica Olic to Hamburg earlier this week. 

Losers: Everyone in the Bayern Defense

Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

The Bayern Munich back four had a day to forget on Friday in the loss to the second-place team in the Bundesliga. 

On countless occasions, the Bayern defenders were caught out by the Wolfsburg attack on the counter. 

Although they did maintain the majority of possession with their high line, the quartet of defenders failed to make an impact when it mattered most. 

Because of their positioning on the pitch, the players in the back four were picked apart by passes from the midfield by Maximilian Arnold, Daniel Caligiuri and De Bruyne. 

The performance was a shocking one, but do not expect this to become a regular occurrence. In the days leading up to the club's next match against Schalke on Tuesday, the back four will work harder on their positioning in training in order to not be exposed so much again. 

Winner: Kevin De Bruyne

Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

Kevin De Bruyne was easily the man of the match for Wolfsburg on Friday night, as he contributed two goals and an assist. 

The Belgian set up Dost's first strike before he stole the spotlight with a second-half brace. De Bruyne sprung loose on the counter twice and finished off those moves with brilliant shots past Manuel Neuer. 

In the 53rd minute, De Bruyne latched on to a wonderful pass by Arnold before he finished his fourth league goal of the season.

His second strike of the 4-1 victory came in the 73rd minute, when he drilled a shot into the top-left corner of the net after he beat Dante on a counter. 

De Bruyne has now scored five goals and contributed 11 assists through 18 league matches for Wolfsburg this season. 

Loser: Xabi Alonso

Michael Regan/Getty Images

Xabi Alonso had a rough first game back from the winter break, as he was ineffective in the middle of the park for Bayern Munich. 

The Spaniard's failure to influence the game was caused by Wolfsburg's impressive tactical game plan and the lack of attacking punch from the Bayern attackers. 

Despite completing 86.3 percent of his 102 passes, Alonso only made one key pass in an attempt to spring a positive Bayern attack. 

On the defensive side of the pitch, Alonso let his temper get to him toward the end of the first half. The 33-year-old picked up a caution after he shoved a Wolfsburg player right before the half-time whistle. 

Just like the back four, Alonso's performance was an unlikely one, but it is nothing for Bayern fans to be extremely concerned about. 

Once the team gets another game or two under their belts in the Bundesliga, they should be able to get back in form and clinch the Bundesliga title. 

Winner: Maximilian Arnold

Michael Sohn/Associated Press

While most of the focus will be on the Wolfsburg goalscorers after the match, some praise should be handed to Maximilian Arnold as well.

The 20-year-old midfielder had a tremendous game in midfield for the hosts, as he set up the final two Wolfsburg goals of the night. 

On both occasions, Arnold was able to thread passes in between the Bayern defense and feed De Bruyne. 

Thanks to the midfielder's pinpoint accuracy, De Bruyne did not have to beat a plethora of defenders to score. 

If Arnold continues to play like he did on Friday, the Wolfsburg counter could turn into one of the best in Europe. 

Loser: Robert Lewandowski

Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images

The main reason why the Bayern attack was so ineffective at the Volkswagen Arena Friday night was the play of Robert Lewandowski. 

The 26-year-old forward barely received a chance to threaten Diego Benaglio in the Wolfsburg net, as he recorded 24 touches and two shots. Neither one of the Polish player's shots were on target. 

Since Lewandowski was unable to provide a spark on the left side of the pitch, the Bayern attack was forced to run through Arjen Robben. While Robben did look threatening on the right wing at times, he didn't have anyone in the box to finish off his passes. 

Lewandowski may be able to blame the extended winter break for his one bad showing. But if he fails to show up against Schalke on Tuesday, he might earn a spot on the bench sooner rather than later. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

All statistics obtained from WhoScored.com.