Wolfsburg have put an awful 2016 behind them

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The first half of the 2016/17 season was a disappointing one for Wolfsburg, who produced just two wins in their first 14 game in the Bundesliga. However, with 2016 now behind them, the struggling club appears to be back on track.

The Bundesliga club returned to action with a 1-0 victory over their North German rivals Hamburger SV following the winter break, meaning that they have now recorded three consecutive victories for the first time this season. In fact, it is the first time that they have recorded back-to-back wins and the first time since September that they have gone more than two matches without suffering defeat.

The winter break threatened to halt their momentum after the club claimed victories over Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Monchengladbach prior to the New Year, but some time away from the game has seemingly worked in their favour.

The club desperately needed to regroup, given the toxic atmosphere that has plagued the club in recent months, largely due to the tense relationship between the board and star attacker Julian Draxler. The German playmaker was blocked from leaving the club during the summer, but their resolution backfired. Draxler managed just two assists in 13 league games and seemed uninterested at times on the pitch.

The drama surrounding Draxler outweighed his input and he was swiftly moved on, with Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain paying £35.5 million for his signature, while the rest of the squad were flown out to Spain to take part in a winter training camp. They were joined on the trip by new team-mates in Paul-Georges Ntep, Yunus Malli and Riechedly Bazoer. While they don’t boast the star quality of Draxler, they are all quality players in their own right with plenty of room to grow.

Ntep has been a consistent performer for Stade Rennais in Ligue 1 for the last three seasons and made an instant impact in Wolfsburg’s win over Hamburger, providing the assist for Mario Gomez’s winning goal. Likewise, Bazoer is only 20, but provides reliable cover to the defensive line from midfield. Malli is undoubtedly the marquee signing, having already scored six and assisted six in 17 Bundesliga matches for Mainz this season, and he will undoubtedly add to his tally over the next few months.

A rebuild was desperately needed and the club have certainly delivered in the January transfer window. It will take time for the new players to bed in, but the club’s new sporting director, Olaf Rebbe, is desperate not to put too much pressure on them.

Wolfsburg’s focus has changed - a top seven finish would have been the target back in August and the club spent the first half of the season chasing that goal, which only placed more pressure on the struggling squad. However, they are now focusing solely on securing their future in the top flight. This means that there is less pressure on the players to climb the table, allowing them to take each game as it comes.

“It would be presumptuous to occupy ourselves with anything beyond staying up,” Rebbe insisted. “That's all we're focused on right now.”

Of course, Wolfsburg’s last few games have come against teams that are in a similar situation to their own and they are likely to come unstuck against the bigger teams. However, when embroiled in a relegation battle, it is vital to pick up the points against those around you in the table, and Wolfsburg are doing a good job of it so far.