Wolf emerges from shadows for Frankfurt in Mainz draw
October 27, 2017
When Frankfurt swooped for a young, pacy winger to add width and dynamism to a solid defensive unit, the overwhelming reaction among Frankfurt fans was Marius who?
Always attested a great talent, eyebrows were nonetheless raised when Frankfurt took him on loan from second-tier Hannover’s reserves last season. A devastating injury sustained in Frankfurt’s victorious German Cup semi-final against Borussia Mönchengladbach in April cost him an appearance in the showpiece final.
Following goals against Borussia Dortmund last Saturday and Schweinfurt in the cup midweek, Wolf is now slowly but surely establishing himself at the top table of German football.
In the 1-1 draw in an uninspiring Rhein-Main derby in Mainz, it was Wolf who provided the impetus once again. As the clock ticked down on an uneventful first half, Wolf pounced on Daniel Brosinski’s hesitancy near the corner flag, surged into the area and his low cross was diverted into the net by Stefan Bell.
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Frankfurt are playing full of confidence at the moment. Flying high in the Bundesliga, they’ve added an attacking dimension to the aggressive style that characterized coach Niko Kovac’s debut season. French goalgetter Sebastien Haller and high-profile signing Kevin-Prince Boateng may have dominated the headlines in that transition, but Wolf is playing his way into the limelight.
It had been exactly 31 years to the day since Frankfurt last won in Mainz. Not since October 26, 1986 had Eintracht made the short trip home with all three points in the bag. They probably haven’t had an easier ride in years than they did on Friday night and will be disappointed at conceding an equalizer to a poor Mainz team.
A side that relies on counter-attacking, Mainz found themselves in the unusual situation of dominating possession. And they often seemed unsure what to do with it, making life simple for Frankfurt. The visitors were happy to sit back and wait to utilize the pace of Wolf to create chances on the break.
His persistence that forced the opening goal made it three assists and two goals himself in his last five outings.
Still on loan until the end of the season, Frankfurt could exercise a cut-price purchase clause in his contract. On this evidence, they are in for the steal of the century.