Schurrle laughs off ´Magic Triangle´ label

Andre Schurrle laughed off suggestions he and new Wolfsburg team-mates Kevin De Bruyne and Bas Dost are already forming a ‘magic triangle’.

New Wolfsburg winger Andre Schurrle was thrilled with his debut for the Bundesliga club in their 3-0 win over Hoffenheim on Saturday but played down comparisons between his attacking team-mates and Stuttgart’s ‘Magic Triangle’ of the 1990s.

Schurrle appeared to slot seamlessly into Wolfsburg’s line-up against Hoffenheim, setting up the opening goal for Dieter Hecking’s team with a cross for Bas Dost, while the former Chelsea man’s crunching strike came off the bar for his team’s second, which was converted by Kevin De Bruyne.

Dost teed up De Bruyne in the second half for Wolfsburg’s third goal.

It prompted suggestions that Schurrle, Dost and De Bruyne could form a new magic triangle – a concept embedded deep in the folklore of modern Bundesliga history.

The term was first coined in the mid-90s when strikers Fredi Bobic and Giovane Elber, plus attacking midfielder Krasimir Balakov, combined brilliantly at Stuttgart and led the club to the 1996-97 DFB Pokal title.

Since then, the German media has been on the lookout for the next magic triangle and with Schurrle, De Bruyne and Dost linking up for all three goals at the Volkswagen Arena, it did not take long for the popular phrase to surface.

When asked by the Bundesliga’s website if he could form a magic triangle with De Bruyne and Dost, Schurrle laughed and said: “To form a magic triangle will definitely take a few more games. It can all improve even more when we get to know each other better and when the lads get to know the runs I make and I know more about the runs that they make.

“I need a few more weeks to knuckle down to ensure I get back to peak fitness. But I felt surprisingly good today and was still making runs in the 90th minute.

“There’s more to come, let’s just see what happens over time.”

It took Schurrle less than three minutes to make an impact for his new club as he whipped in a cross for Dost to volley into the net, and the 24-year-old German international was thrilled with his start.

“Positive actions can do you a world of good, especially when for a long time you’ve only had brief appearances or haven’t played at all,” Schurrle said.

“In the last few weeks I didn’t train and hardly ever played. It feels incredibly good when everything comes together in the opening minutes. Then you can play with a greater sense of freedom.”

Saturday’s match ensured Wolfsburg, who sit second in the Bundesliga, kept pace with leaders Bayern Munich.

Bayern won 2-0 at Stuttgart to maintain their eight-point lead in the German top flight.