Playing at home, VfL Wolfsburg U19 set up in a 4-4-2 defensive formation.
RB Leipzig’s attacking firepower topped the division, so Wolfsburg’s defensive setup was clearly a bid for stability.
They bolstered their midfield defensive depth, intending to wear down RB Leipzig’s attacks with a deep block.
The tactical plan was very clear, but whether they could withstand RB Leipzig’s relentless pressure would depend on the players’ performance.
VfL Wolfsburg Starting Lineup: Goalkeeper: Phillip Menzel Defenders: Gian Itter, Paul Jaeckel, Jannis Heuer, Max Radowski Midfielders: Neuwirth, Nick Otto, Yari Otto, McKinze Gaines Forwards: David Nieland, Murat Sağlam Saglam seemed to be playing as a forward, but his actual position was somewhat deeper.
Rather than a 4-4-2, it would be more accurate to say Wolfsburg deployed a 4-4-1-1 formation.
Saglam dropped back into midfield more often to orchestrate the attack, using his passing and playmaking to break down the defense.
Beierlorzer had long figured out Wolfsburg’s style, predicting before the match that they would set up in a 4-4-2 defensive formation.
The players gave him thumbs-up with smiles, deeply admiring their coach’s brilliant foresight.
Beierlorzer calmly gestured for them to settle down, indicating it was just a routine read.
Today, RB Leipzig deployed the 4-2-2-2 formation commonly used by their first team.
The advantages of this formation were highly prominent: On the attacking end, the two attacking wingers positioned themselves in the pockets of space between Wolfsburg’s defense and midfield, directly threatening the heart of the penalty area; Up front, one of the two strikers dropped back to act as a wall, while the other made runs behind, creating a dual threat that pinned down the opponent’s two center-backs and constantly stretched the defensive line.
On the defensive end, having more players in midfield provided a higher margin of error when tracking back; The team’s compact positioning and fluid defensive rotations constantly squeezed Wolfsburg’s midfield passing lanes, effectively limiting Saglam’s playmaking and link-up play.
Not to mention Rolin, the stamina monster, who could cover the entire right flank all by himself.
RB Leipzig Starting Lineup: Goalkeeper: Tom Wallenstein Defenders: Liam Schah, Jeff Chabot, Dominik Frank, Maximilian Schnabel Defensive Midfielders: Paul Groschopf, Elias Abouchabaka Attacking Midfielders: Przemysław Płacheta, Rolin Bachmann Strikers: Ermedin Demirović, Amangi Diawusie The referee blew his whistle, and this peak showdown of the Youth League officially kicked off.
Demirović kicked off from the center circle, passing the ball back to Abouchabaka behind him, who delivered a precise through ball right into the path of the surging Rolin.
Wolfsburg’s defensive midfielder Neuwirth pressed immediately, grabbing Rolin’s jersey with his hand while sweeping his leg to bring him down.
Neuwirth made a diving gesture at Rolin, mockingly saying: “A genius?
That’s it?
You can’t even stay on your feet.
How hilarious!” Demirović and Diawusie immediately rushed over and shoved Neuwirth away.
The referee quickly stepped in between the players, gave Neuwirth a stern warning, and awarded RB Leipzig a free kick in the attacking half.
Rolin sat calmly on the grass, smiling at Neuwirth without blinking.
Abouchabaka reached out to pull Rolin up, his tone laced with concern.
“Are you alright, brother?” Rolin shook his head with a smile, his tone relaxed.
“That little bit of force?
My grandmother hits harder than that.” Standing nearby, Neuwirth’s face instantly flushed red.
He clenched his fists and wanted to charge forward, but his teammates held him back tightly.
Neuwirth hadn’t expected that his deliberate provocation would fail to anger Rolin, and instead, his own mental state was starting to crumble.
Rolin calmly withdrew his gaze and said no more.
He knew exactly what Neuwirth was plotting; as long as he could suppress a rising star like Rolin on the pitch, he would garner a ton of external attention.
Unfortunately for him, he was up against a seasoned veteran like Rolin, so his calculations were bound to fail from the start.
After this minor incident, RB Leipzig gradually took control of the game’s tempo.
In the eighth minute.
Saglam advanced with the ball down the middle, Abouchabaka intercepted him from the front, and Rolin quickly closed in from the flank.
Under double pressure from the two, Saglam hurriedly released the ball, but the pass lacked power.
Groschopf used his body to shield and win the ball, then immediately delivered a diagonal long pass to Płacheta on the left wing.
Demirović and Diawusie made rapid runs forward, while Rolin followed closely behind, running along the half-space, ready to support them at any moment.
Płacheta used his speed to shake off Radowski, got to the byline, and fired a low cross across the face of the goal with his left foot.
Demirović held off Heuer and managed a poke-shot at the near post.
Menzel went down extremely fast, diving sideways to smother the ball under his body, neutralizing this highly threatening attack.
Demirović clapped his hands in regret, then turned to give a thumbs-up to Płacheta, who had sent in the cross.
RB Leipzig’s attack was extremely threatening, sending a cold shiver down the spines of Wolfsburg’s defenders and goalkeeper.
In the 12th minute, RB Leipzig launched another wave of attack.
Płacheta received the ball in midfield, while Diawusie and Rolin made overlapping runs near the edge of the penalty area.
The moment their paths crossed, Rolin suddenly accelerated and surged forward.
Płacheta keenly spotted Rolin’s run and delivered a slide-rule pass along the ground with his left foot.
The ball rolled quickly along the turf, slicing between two defenders and into the open space on the right side of the box.
Rolin caught up to the ball just before it went out of play, deftly cutting back with his right foot to evade the center-back’s sliding tackle, and then unleashed a powerful left-footed shot at the near corner.
Menzel’s anticipation was spot-on, and his positioning to block the angle was indeed correct.
However, Rolin’s shot was incredibly powerful, and the ball flew over Menzel’s head with a sharp “whoosh.” The ball was simply too fast; Menzel didn’t even have time to make a diving attempt.
1-0!
After scoring, Rolin cast a brief glance at Neuwirth before running toward Płacheta, who provided the assist, and the two embraced in celebration.
Neuwirth had to take primary responsibility for this conceded goal.
He was tasked with marking Rolin on the pitch, but made a massive error, leaving the latter completely unmarked.
Instead of making a name for himself, he had ended up as a mere backdrop to the other’s glory…
After taking the lead, RB Leipzig did not sit back; instead, they intensified their attacks.
Wolfsburg’s rhythm was completely disrupted by the sudden goal, and they began playing without any cohesion.
Facing the double-teaming press of Abouchabaka and Rolin, Saglam found it extremely difficult to even keep possession of the ball, let alone organize an attack.
Wolfsburg’s left-back, Itter, was also under immense pressure and didn’t dare to venture forward.
With both of their attacking outlets neutralized, it was naturally very difficult for Wolfsburg to orchestrate any decent offense.
In the 23rd minute of the match.
Wolfsburg launched an attack down the left, with Itter using his speed advantage to try and burst past Schnabel.
Rolin’s defensive positioning was very clever, standing directly in Itter’s cutting-in lane, forcing him to only cross from the byline.
Itter’s cross wasn’t of high quality and was easily cleared by Chabot.
Groschopf claimed the second ball and laid it back to Rolin, who had moved up to support.
Without even looking, Rolin directly unleashed a long pass.
Almost simultaneously, Diawusie made a high-speed run forward, targeting the massive space left behind Itter.
This was the tacit understanding between the two of them.
Itter realized the danger and hurriedly turned to track back.
But it was already too late!
Diawusie controlled the ball with his chest and then surged directly into the heart of the penalty area.
The Wolfsburg goalkeeper came out decisively, while another center-back quickly shifted over to cover and block the shooting angle.
Diawusie wasn’t selfish, decisively squaring the ball to the center.
An unmarked Demirović tapped the ball into the empty net.
2-0!
The RB Leipzig players rushed to the corner flag to celebrate wildly, with Rolin even jumping onto Demirović’s back.
On the sidelines, Beierlorzer pumped his fist, his face beaming with a bright smile.