He has lost his regular place in the Bochum back four. Against Wolfsburg, Cristian Gamboa will once again have the chance to prove himself from the start.
VfL Bochum have been preparing for the second half of the season for just under a week. The training ground is full and coach Thomas Reis has hardly any absentees to complain about. The only players still missing are Simon Zoller, who has torn his cruciate ligament, and Kostas Stafylidis, who tested positive for COVID-19 in his native Greece and will not be available for the start of the second half of the season against VfL Wolfsburg.
The Greek, on a one-year loan from TSG Hoffenheim in the summer, has immediately earned his place as a stable right-back, although he actually feels stronger on the left. He has displaced Cristian Gamboa, who has long proven himself as a strong and fast full-back with a strong game.
A case of hardship, because the Costa Rican national player also offered himself, but was ultimately unable to displace Stafylidis. Gamboa, who is already 32, was looking forward to his first season in the Bundesliga. “In the 2nd division it’s as stimulating for me as seven cups of coffee, in the Bundesliga it’s at least eleven cups,” the defender from the coffee country Costa Rica had said with a smile.
Don’t straddle too early
Accordingly, he started the season full of verve, but was then set back by an elbow injury and only made eight appearances in the first half of the season. Basically, Thomas Reis had told him to stay longer in duels and not to tackle too early, as well as not to collect as many yellow cards as in the 2nd division, when Gamboa was cautioned ten times.
First starting eleven appearance since October beckons
There wasn’t even an opportunity for that now, Gamboa had to watch the action largely from the outside. So now the door opens with Stafylidis out. Herbert Bockhorn would also be an alternative. But more likely is a return of Christian Gamboa to his usual position on the right in the back four: It would be his first starting eleven appearance since the end of October.
