Julian Draxler Emphatically Announces Return to Form in Slaying Real Madrid
The undoubted shock of the UEFA Champions League so far arrived on Wednesday, as Real Madrid fell to Wolfsburg at the Volkswagen Arena.
It leaves Zinedine Zidane’s men on the precipice of completing a disastrous season. They could conceivably go trophyless and finish third in La Liga, with the latest European blow served by the team widely perceived to be the weakest to reach the quarter-final stage.
But as much as Los Blancos’ failures will dominate the headlines—and they really did conspire to harm themselves, missing numerous chances and showcasing some catastrophic defending—Wolfsburg’s stunning performance deserves an awful lot of credit. They achieved a 2-0 victory and will take a daunting lead to the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday thanks to hard work, deadly counter-attacks and a sprinkling of exceptional quality when required.
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That sprinkling, largely, was provided by Julian Draxler—a man who has done superbly to piece his reputation back together this season after falling flat at Schalke. He was scintillating on Wednesday, tearing Real Madrid right-back Danilo to pieces every time he ventured forward.
Wolfsburg opted to relinquish the ball for the most part, managing just 42 per cent possession, per WhoScored.com, and they traded control for swift counters that relied on moving the ball from line to line quickly. Snappy decisions were made as they shifted forward at speed, with Draxler the main creator, operating from the left flank.
He took Danilo this way and that; he took the outside line one time and cut inside the next. His dynamic dribbling tore chunks out of Madrid’s formation, and some scything passing was on show, too. His ball in the buildup to Wolfsburg’s second—which split the defensive and midfield lines and found out-ball Bruno Henrique wide on the right—was borderline undefendable.
Just as impressive, though, was his defensive aptitude and work rate. With Wolfsburg operating in a fairly tight 4-4-1-1 off the ball, Draxler tucked all the way in on the left flank, shielding Ricardo Rodriguez superbly and ensuring Danilo couldn’t attack the space either in front of or behind his full-back. The judiciousness with which he carried out this task led to Madrid attacking almost exclusively down the opposite flank.
Even Gareth Bale, the only Blanco to have a good game on the night, did all of his work when swapping over to the left and testing Vieirinha. The two best chances from crosses came from that side, as did both of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema’s mazy runs that culminated in efforts on goal.
This was by no means a one-man show. Wolfsburg as a collective were brilliant, prompting Bleacher Report’s Dean Jones to award them the Team of the Week gong (below), with all the parts conjoining and working together as one.
Defensively, they battled, with Dante excelling in a clear-at-all-costs role late on; in midfield, they worked harder than ever, with Maximilian Arnold’s penetrative runs and harassing key. On the counter, Bruno Henrique provided the wide outlet required to launch forward at speed. But Draxler was the icing on top of an exceptionally delicious cake.
To fans of the Bundesliga, news of his shining performance won’t actually be news. He’s been a major name in the league for years—despite being just 22 years of age, he’s clocked just shy of 150 senior club appearances—and anyone plugged in will know his career has been rejuvenated in the white and green of Wolfsburg this season.
Draxler, once a target for Arsenal, per the Express' David Wright, saw things go a bit stale at Schalke after rejecting Premier League overtures. Max Meyer usurped him as the golden boy, and until Die Wolfe used a portion of the £54 million Manchester City paid them for Kevin De Bruyne to pluck him from Gelsenkirchen, it looked increasingly likely he would drift into the obscurity of averageness.
But for 90 minutes on Wednesday, he ruled the world. He was the best player on the pitch as Wolfsburg stifled the BBC combination and punished a lacklustre defensive line, announcing, categorically, that his career is firmly back on track.
