Shattered team, perplexed coach: Wolfsburg's next step towards the abyss
VfL Wolfsburg is out of the cup, the mood is desolate: Who is part of the problem, who can still be part of the solution?
Plain speaking: VfL goalkeeper Marius Müller (left, pictured here with Bence Dardai) didn't mince his words after the cup exit. IMAGO/STEINSIEK.CH
Where do we begin after this evening? VfL Wolfsburg was eliminated from the DFB Cup by second-division side Holstein Kiel (0-1) , and for many in the stadium and around the Bundesliga club, this defeat didn't even come as a surprise.
Yes, the team had at least shown a fighting spirit in Hamburg (1-0) over the weekend, but their footballing performance was also dismal in that match. And now they delivered another disastrous performance in the cup. It was VfL's next step towards the abyss. They present a seemingly shattered team, a seemingly perplexed coach, and a boss who somehow hopes that things will improve.
Müller: "This is football, we have to understand it slowly"But how? Goalkeeper Marius Müller , who was standing in for Kamil Grabara, who had a thigh injury, didn't mince his words after the match. "We didn't understand what happened on Saturday in Hamburg," said the keeper. "We thought the game had tipped over and we could easily beat Kiel. No, this is football, and we have to get it right now."
Part of the squad doesn't seem to have internalized this; the footballing ambition is no longer there at all; it's now simply a matter of bringing the right attitude onto the pitch. And even that seems too big a challenge at the moment. The team, it seems, can't seem to get things together; there are apparently major disciplinary deficits. "What am I supposed to do?" Müller asks, adding that he can't "punch anyone in the face, because then I can go over to the factory and pick up my contract." Pure frustration.
These are statements that confirm what has been circulating for some time. The Wolfsburg team is divided among itself; there's no unit that will go through fire together for VfL. Various cliques that don't see eye to eye. To put it more specifically: Is the team cohesive enough to extricate itself from this situation as a team? Müller: "Hopefully that should be the case, yes." But he's not sure? His telling answer: "I won't say anything about that."
You have to achieve this turnaround through real hard work. It's no longer just a matter of gambling here, gambling there, or a bit of La Paloma.
VfL goalkeeper Marius Müller after Wolfsburg's cup exit
These are issues that have apparently already been brought to the attention of the sporting management by the team. Müller says: "It's not like we come here every day and don't give a damn, even if it sometimes seems that way on the pitch." The goalkeeper has already experienced serious crises at Schalke and Kaiserslautern. He knows from experience: "You have to achieve this turnaround through really dirty work. It's no longer possible to just gamble here, gamble there, or play a bit of La Paloma. That doesn't work. You have to get a beating now, verbally speaking."
Simonis: "I also see that the players are not happy"Coach Paul Simonis, unlike his goalkeeper, strikes a rather calm tone. He missed the energy he had at least seen in Hamburg on Tuesday evening. When asked about problems within the team, he points to the many games they haven't won, which naturally dampens morale. "I also see that the players aren't happy. We have to watch and react; that's the only thing we can do." The Dutchman sounds perplexed by his team's performance.
The coach, the team, and even the boss are all challenged. Peter Christiansen stepped up after the cup exit and at least guaranteed that Simonis will be on Wolfsburg's bench on Sunday (5:30 p.m., LIVE! on kicker) against TSG Hoffenheim. The Dane emphasized: "He is our coach, and we want to go through this period together with Paul."
Who is part of the problem, who can be part of the solution?VfL has reached a point where a clear analysis must be carried out to determine who, in the current constellation, can still be part of a solution or who is themselves part of the problem. Christiansen, along with sporting director Sebastian Schindzielorz, is responsible for both the squad and the selection of coaches.
He doesn't want to shirk this responsibility, the Dane emphasizes. And he doesn't want to make it easy for himself to sacrifice his inexperienced coach. It's too easy to blame the coach, says Christiansen. "The players also bear a responsibility when they wear the jersey. Then I expect them to leave everything out there on the pitch." Things he misses.
In Wolfsburg, the belief in a turnaround is crumblingWhat's next? Doubts are rife among Wolfsburg's supporters, and the belief that a turnaround can be achieved in the current setup is crumbling. Under the current circumstances, a relegation battle looms, and this team seems ill-equipped to overcome it.
The mood of the supervisory board is crucial. Its chairman, Sebastian Rudolph, was not in the stadium on Tuesday; his intention so far has been to remain level-headed and find solutions with the current sporting leadership.
Rose, Schmadtke, Mislintat - the first names are circulatingAnd yet, the first names are already making the rounds around the Volkswagen Arena. If Paul Simonis can't turn things around, Marco Rose would be a natural choice for the coaching bench. And if the bosses aren't trusted to turn things around? From former managing director Jörg Schmadtke to Sven Mislintat, at least some names are being discussed.
Christiansen is combative: "You have to understand that there are difficult times in a football club. You have to get through them. And that's exactly what we expect from everyone."
