Sleepless night for Gustavo and Scolari

Luiz Felipe Scolari presumably did not get much sleep Tuesday night as the coach of the 2015 Chinese Champion Guangzhou Evergrande is said to still follow the games of his former players in the Brazilian team he managed up until the 2014 World Cup.

In order to watch his former key midfielder Luiz Gustavo and his German club VfL Wolfsburg in their Champions League group match against PSV Eindhoven, the 66-year-old Scolari had to stay up longer than usual due to the time difference. However he won't have liked what he saw as the 28-year-old Gustavo and Wolfsburg lost their game to the Dutch champions 2-0 (the goals were scored by Juergen Locadia/55th and Luuk de Jong/88th).

Top of the Group B table at the start of the day, Wolfsburg have now dropped down third after Manchester United (1-0 over Moscow) who now head the table with seven points. Eindhoven (6 points) are now second by virtue of having scored more goals than Wolfsburg.

In Eindhoven, Gustavo and Wolfsburg did not perform well for Scolari sleepless night. In contrast to previous matches, neither Gustavo nor his team could get control of the game.

"We could not create enough chances. We know we can do better. It was not a good game from us and we have to improve. We still have all chances to get to the next round," said Wolfsburg's Dutch striker, Bas Dost.

Gustavo in the first place does things better normally, due to his special game style. Wolfsburg's heartbeat might have a Brazilian touch but otherwise not much in Gustavo's game is overwhelming Brazilian.

The qualities Scolari appreciated when selecting Gustavo for the national team are exactly the same as the ones the current head-coach Carlos Dunga values, like Gustavo's non-Brazilian organizational skills, his fighting spirit and determination, his ball-winning skills and his ability to produce a deadly pass. Gustavo's game is far from being the typical Brazilian game which means it contains only a few artistic elements. It is more of a basic style that even exotic South-American artists can't do without.

But sometimes even reliable players like Gustavo can't win games on their own. "Not enough chances and not enough forwarding power, that were the main problems today. Things got more difficult now, but we still believe we can make it," Wolfsburg's head-coach Dieter Hecking said after the defeat in Eindhoven.

Before the 1.87 meter midfielder Gustavo joined Wolfsburg from Bayern Munich in 2013 he had intense talks with Scolari about his future as he wanted to be part of the 2014 Brazilian World Cup team. Scolari told him to ensure he has playing time. As Bayern's new coach Pep Guardiola at the time could not guarantee him a place in his team a year in advance of the 2014 World Cup, Gustavo took the chance to go to a team in which he could be the midfield general, namely VfL Wolfsburg.

In 2013, when Bayern won the treble (Champions League final 2-1 against Borussia Dortmund and the league and cup double) with coach Jupp Heynckes, Gustavo (who was transferred for 15 million euros from TSG Hoffenheim to Bayern Munich in the winter break 2011/2012) was regarded as one of the world's best defensive midfielders.

In 2012, he reached the Champions League final with Bayern but lost to Chelsea 4-3 on penalties. His only problem was that he seemed to lack the necessary speed and effectiveness. At least Guardiola had doubts regarding Gustavo and already kept a close eye on Spanish style of players like Thiago and Martinez. In Wolfsburg, Gustavo from the beginning stood for the plan to gain international quality and recognition.

After joining Wolfsburg, Gustavo convinced his fellow Brazilians back home who did not really know him that well when he was first selected for the "Selecao" in 2011. But not only Scolari knew the Brazilian national team would need an organizational player at the heart of their game. Gustavo has since been a vital part of his national team with which he won the 2013 Confederations Cup.

And he has changed his style in respect of excessive foul record. In his first 46 games in the Bundesliga, Gustavo was sent off four times after his all too Rambo-like tackling in midfield. "I am a worker on the pitch always wanting to help my team," says Gustavo when talking about his game.

In addition, his job profile has changed as Gustavo is no longer just a defensive worker but the man that has to propel his team forward too. In 88 games for Wolfsburg, he has scored 11 goals, in Munich he only hit the back of the net six times in 100 games. It is a change that has gone down well in Brazil too. Gustavo is meanwhile not only important for Wolfsburg's game but for the game of Brazil's artists too. Endi