The German Team's atmosphere was joyful after concluding their October Euro Qualifiers journey with a victory.
However, for Löw, there was bad news.
In the final moments of the match against Ireland, the team's main winger, Mark, was tackled to the ground by an Irishman and forced to be substituted!
For this German Team, Mark's dribbling and breakthroughs on the wing were absolutely a strategic weapon for tearing apart the opponent's defense.
If Mark were lost, the team would lack one of its most invincible swords!
The moment Löw saw Mark being tackled, his heart sank.
Fortunately, after examination by the team doctor, Mark's injury was only a calf muscle strain.
He would recover after just two weeks of rest.
And for Mark, this day had finally arrived.
Under high-intensity confrontation, injuries are commonplace for players.
How to avoid injuries is something every team and every professional player needs to consider.
Since his debut, due to his flamboyant playing style and long ball-holding time, which made him very susceptible to fouls from opponents, Mark had always tried his best to learn how to protect himself from injury.
This included strengthening his core and body balance to cope with intense physical confrontations.
And improving his reaction Speed to minimize collisions with opponents during intense confrontations.
Therefore, Mark felt he had done quite well.
At least in nearly a year since his debut, he hadn't suffered any major injuries.
Even so, upon learning that Mark had suffered a muscle strain during a National Team match, Wolfsburg's head coach Hecking still cursed aloud in his office.
Compared to the German Team, which is rich in talent and has many options for wingers, Mark's importance to Wolfsburg is unparalleled!
His individual explosive ability and his ability to break stalemates are important reasons why Wolfsburg often emerges victorious in strong matchups!
And in the only match this season where Mark did not start, the team almost lost at home to Hertha BSC.
If he hadn't come on as a substitute and scored twice, the team's winning streak might have been broken long ago.
Due to his injury with the National Team, Mark still had to return to the club for a second examination by the club's medical staff.
When Mark was undergoing the examination in the medical room, head coach Hecking also rushed over upon hearing the news: "How is it?"
"A minor strain of the left calf soleus muscle, two weeks of rest will be enough.
Upon hearing the news from the team doctor, Hecking breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank goodness, only two weeks..."
Although missing two weeks meant Mark would miss the next three matches.
Two Bundesliga matches and one Champions League match.
However, as long as it wasn't a severe injury that threatened his career, it was already a blessing in disguise.
Due to the injury, Mark experienced the treatment of recovering at home for the first time.
However, after only two days of rest at home, he traveled with the team to Freiburg, a city in southwestern Germany.
In the eighth round of the Bundesliga, they would challenge Freiburg, who were ranked in the middle to lower half of the League, away from home.
At the pre-match press conference, reporters also inquired about Mark's injury.
As Wolfsburg's top star and currently the hottest traffic magnet in the Bundesliga, Mark's injury and inability to play was a loss for many media outlets.
Hecking also truthfully reported Mark's situation.
As the match began, Mark, dressed in casual clothes and wearing his personal brand's baseball cap, sat in the stands to watch the game.
After introducing the starting lineups of both sides, the live broadcast camera also focused on Mark watching from the stands.
"Wolfsburg's top scorer, Mark Lane, is absent from this match due to injury and can only cheer for the team from the stands."
"So far this season, Lane has scored an astonishing nine goals in seven League matches, and he is also the League's dribbling king, with an average of five successful dribbles per game..."
"Without such a core player with huge offensive threat, can Wolfsburg continue their winning streak away from home..."
Although they lacked Mark, the main force, Hecking's tactical system was already well-developed.
The attacking routines on the wings had been practiced countless times, and even without Mark, players like Perišić, Caligiuri, and De Bruyne were not inferior in skill.
Moreover, the opponent's strength was indeed not impressive.
Freiburg had gone seven rounds without a win this season, although they managed to draw against League powerhouses like Leverkusen and Mönchengladbach at home.
However, they had only scored seven goals in seven matches, indicating very limited attacking power.
Even at home, Freiburg was suppressed by Wolfsburg.
Perišić, who replaced Mark as the starting left winger in this match, was also very active.
Although his individual dribbling ability was not as good as Mark's, his left and right feet were balanced, and his cross with his weaker foot was very reliable.
In the first half, it was precisely his low cross that helped Dost score with a header, giving them the lead.
In the second half, although Freiburg actively attacked, the effect was generally poor.
As their formation pressed forward, Wolfsburg seized the opportunity and scored two goals through passing and movement.
It wasn't until the very end of the match that they scored a consolation goal.
Ultimately, Wolfsburg defeated Freiburg three-to-one away from home, securing all three points and continuing to set a new club record for consecutive wins!
Although they lacked Mark, one of the top wingers in the Bundesliga.
However, with Wolfsburg's squad strength, defeating Freiburg, a team ranked in the middle to lower half of the League, was still easy.
Moreover, Wolfsburg's players also proved themselves with excellent performances and announced a fact to the world.
Wolfsburg's ability to maintain its top position is not solely due to Mark's presence!
However, after defeating Freiburg away from home, the most eye-catching news was not the team's great achievement of eight consecutive League victories, but an unexpected piece of news!
After this match, Mark, who did not play, once again became the focus of reports.
A very creative tabloid newspaper used a previous photo of Mark scoring as its front-page cover online.
Then, it added a thought-provoking headline:
"Mark's Hat-Trick, Wolfsburg Defeats Freiburg by Three Goals!"
As a result, when eager fans clicked on it, they discovered that the newspaper was a despicable clickbaiter!
The so-called "hat-trick" (Wearing a hat dàimào, literally "wearing a hat") was actually Mark sitting in the stands wearing a baseball cap.
It was not the hat-trick (hat trick màozi xìfǎ) performed on the field.
This humorous news directly caused the website traffic of this small media outlet to break previously unimaginable numbers, and it was widely shared and commented on by fans.
And Mark was also amused by this news.
He never expected that the pun about "wearing a hat" (Wearing a hat dàimào) from Guoan's Zhang, would actually happen to him.
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With Wolfsburg achieving eight consecutive wins to start the season, they had already set a new Bundesliga record!
This was also the best start record in the Bundesliga!
Major media outlets began to study and analyze this Wolfsburg team.
They were eager to know why this "factory team," which did not have a superstar, could go from strength to strength since the start of the season?!
Some said it was Hecking's tactical system; the 4-2-3-1 winger system made the team's offensive routines and methods unpredictable, and it could also fully utilize the players' talents and abilities.
Some said it was the brilliance of the twin stars, Mark and De Bruyne, that allowed Wolfsburg to shine in the Bundesliga!
In the eight League rounds this season, Mark appeared seven times, scoring nine goals and providing two assists.
De Bruyne appeared eight times, scoring three goals and providing eight assists!
One focused on finishing, the other on assisting, a match made in heaven.
Some said that the team's defense had become more solid.
With the arrival of Dutch center-back De Vrij, he quickly solidified his position as a starter, forming a complementary center-back partnership with Naldo.
Coupled with the National Team level full-back Sebastian Jung filling the defensive gap on the right, Wolfsburg's defense had been upgraded.
After eight rounds this season, they had only conceded eight goals, an average of just one goal per game.
This was a significant improvement compared to the eleven goals conceded in the same period last season.
Of course, a team's invincibility is certainly due to multiple reasons.
It's not just one single reason.
However, with in-depth research and analysis, a new question arose: "Who can stop this Wolfsburg?"
Currently, Bayern and Leverkusen, who are in the Bundesliga title contention group, have both lost to Wolfsburg in direct confrontations.
People couldn't help but turn their attention to Borussia Dortmund, another Bundesliga giant besides Bayern, known as "The Yellow Wall."
However, this season's Borussia Dortmund seemed to be cursed.
After eight rounds, Klopp's team had only managed two wins, one draw, and five losses!
Especially in the last three rounds, they suffered a shocking three-game losing streak!
This season in the Bundesliga, in addition to the perplexing question of "Who can stop this Wolfsburg?", "What happened to Borussia Dortmund?" was another baffling matter.
The young Dortmund team, which had competed with Bayern for the championship in previous seasons, suddenly seemed to have lost its momentum and magic this season.
After the team's main striker transferred to a rival, the strikers they bought back couldn't score goals.
Secondly, the team's "heavy metal rock" tactical style led to accumulated fatigue among key players, resulting in various injuries.
Coupled with Şahin and Shinji Kagawa returning to their old club and not being in their prime form, the team lacked squad depth and also had to contend with two-front warfare... Compared to Wolfsburg's traceable success, Dortmund's rapid decline was unexpected.
Of course, Dortmund's collapse was good news for Wolfsburg.
This way, they would have one less opponent on their path to the championship.
Experiencing injury for the first time, Mark remained very calm.
Although he couldn't play in matches, he went to the gym every day to train.
A calf injury didn't mean he couldn't train his upper body strength.
And a few days later, in the Champions League match, Mark also sat in the stands, cheering for the team.
In the third round of the group stage, Wolfsburg hosted Portuguese powerhouse Sporting CP at the Volkswagen Arena.
Sporting CP is one of the Portuguese powerhouses, alongside Porto and Benfica, known as the 'Big Three' of the Primeira Liga.
They have produced many famous Portuguese football stars, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Quaresma, Nani, and others.
Last season, Sporting CP finished as League runners-up, directly entering the Champions League group stage. In the first two rounds, Sporting CP first drew away with Maribor, then lost narrowly at home to Chelsea, accumulating only 1 point after two rounds, ranking last in the group.
In the first two rounds, Sporting CP first drew away with Maribor, then lost narrowly at home to Chelsea, accumulating only 1 point after two rounds, ranking last in the group.
This Sporting CP squad also features Portuguese National Team players like Nani, William Carvalho, João Mário, and Rui Patrício, so their strength should not be underestimated.
After the match began, the Portuguese asserted themselves as the away team, actively pressing forward to attack.
And Wolfsburg, playing at home, was naturally happy to engage in an attacking battle with their opponents.
Watching his teammates run on the field, Mark immediately felt an itch in his feet, wishing he could get on the field right away.
However, thinking about his calf injury, he instantly felt a bit depressed, and couldn't help but curse the Irish player who tackled him.
Perhaps, this is a test that professional players must endure.
Although he regretted not being able to play alongside his teammates.
However, for every attack the team made, he would simulate it in his mind, then put himself in their shoes and into the game: "This ball shouldn't have been passed, it should have been a breakthrough forward..."
"That's a good pass, should have made a run forward!"
"Oh, if it were me, I could definitely link up with De Bruyne... Although Mark's absence in the previous match against Freiburg didn't have a significant impact on the team.
However, when facing a Champions League regular like Sporting CP, Mark's importance immediately became apparent.
In attack, Mark's breakthroughs on the wing and his role in drawing defenders could greatly create space for his teammates.
While Hunt and Caligiuri also had good individual abilities, they couldn't draw two or three defenders.
As a result, De Bruyne couldn't get more space in the middle.
Moreover, Sporting CP was also well-prepared.
Knowing that Wolfsburg's midfield maestro was De Bruyne, they implemented a targeted defensive strategy against him.
As soon as he got the ball, defensive midfielder Adrien Silva would immediately stick close to him, preventing De Bruyne from easily organizing attacks or passing.
Once De Bruyne couldn't comfortably get the ball and organize attacks, Wolfsburg's attacking play would be severely affected.
However, Wolfsburg's response was also very swift.
With the opposing defensive midfielder constantly marking him, De Bruyne also used one-touch passes, tried to run into open spaces to receive the ball, and reduced his time on the ball as much as possible.
Then he would pull out wide to organize.
Although Mark wasn't on the field to help De Bruyne attract defensive attention.
However, the two wingers, Hunt and Caligiuri, also moved centrally as planned to link up with De Bruyne.
Most importantly, the push forward of defensive midfielder Gustavo also added another point for organization and distribution in the attacking third. The Brazilian had become the team's offensive and defensive pivot in the midfield and backline since his transfer.
Even when De Bruyne was heavily marked by the opponent, he could still take on some organizational tasks and deliver the ball to teammates in open spaces.
This was the sharpness of Hecking's 4-2-3-1 tactical system, which could play both wide and central.
As both sides entered a fast-paced attacking game, the wide-open play thrilled both sets of fans!