Amoura leading the Wolfsburg charge

There have been plenty of ups and downs for the Wolves in recent years, and when Ralph Hasenhüttl replaced Niko Kovač in March earlier this year, he joined a team in danger of dropping down to the second tier despite the squad’s evident quality.

Ultimately, he was able to steer them to the relative safety of a 12th-place finish, but back-to-back defeats to end the Bundesliga campaign tempered expectations.

However, after 12 matchdays of this season, things look a lot rosier. Eighteen points have seen VfL rise to eighth, just three points adrift of the top four, while only the top three have managed more than their 25 goals.

Wolfsburg's performances against the division’s best outfits have been particularly impressive – even if they were left empty-handed against Bayern, Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt, all of those sides needed a goal in the final 10 minutes to prevail, and high-flyers RB Leipzig were no match for Wolfsburg in a 5-1 hammering.

That clash showcased the best of star striker Amoura. He was irresistible, opening the scoring inside four minutes before adding a second shortly after the quarter-hour mark to end the game as a contest early on. Leipzig, who, even after conceding five, have the third-best defence in the German top flight this term, had no answer.

Watch: RB Leipzig 1-5 Wolfsburg - highlights

In 2023/24, goals were a problem for Wolfsburg, as they mustered just 41 in 34 Bundesliga fixtures. For context, only four teams managed fewer, including bottom two Cologne and Darmstadt. It was clear, then, that the attack needed reinforcing during the summer, and Hasenhüttl turned to a hotbed of future leading Bundesliga strikers in Belgian outfit Royale Union Saint-Gilloise.

Amoura, who scored 20 times for the Pro League team last season, followed in the footsteps of Victor Boniface and Deniz Undav, two of the Bundesliga’s most dangerous forwards for Leverkusen and VfB Stuttgart respectively. The 24-year-old also showed he could perform at the highest level at Saint-Gilloise, scoring a goal and assisting another in a 2-1 UEFA Europa League victory over English Premier League giants Liverpool.

The 27-time Algeria international missed the opening two matches of this season, but when he did make his debut, his playmaking ability initially stood out. He assisted Ridle Baku in the 2-1 loss to Frankfurt before creating strikes in each of the following three encounters, including two in the 3-1 triumph over VfL Bochum. Both Jonas Wind and Tiago Tomás, with five and four goals in all competitions respectively, have struck up good chemistry with the new arrival, making Hasenhüttl’s outfit a real offensive danger.

The head coach is clearly aware of Amoura's talent, and he could hardly conduct his post-match conference at Leipzig without mentioning thein-form attacker. “Amoura, we know, has unbelievable quality, and it is no surprise that he causes defences problems, especially away from home.

“He has incredible speed, and I am better off just leaving him up front to cause chaos. He is a real weapon for us.”

While Wind has shown his ability in patches, and Tomás has plenty of potential, Wolfsburg have still not replaced the regular goals of Wout Weghorst since his departure two years ago. Admittedly, Amoura’s profile is strikingly different to that of the Netherlands international, but there is no doubt he has a presence up front that makes him as much of a handful. 

With Wolfsburg hitting their stride, spearheaded by Amoura' effervescent form, there's no telling how far they will go in the league and cup this season.