Everything sounds very logical. Under the guidance of Florian Kohfeldt, the professionals at VfL Wolfsburg should play football with courage, determination and a structured approach. But between what the head coach can explain so wonderfully conclusively and what his players make of it, there is a momentous delta. The 0: 1 on Sunday evening at VfL Bochum was the sixth Wolfsburg Bundesliga defeat in a row. “We mustn't complain and we don't have to hug anyone,” says Kohfeldt. He deserves an award for his special ability to put bad things into good words.
Maybe the team doesn't understand him. Perhaps the VfL team that recently played in the Champions League is overwhelmed by the situation. Since Kohfeldt was able to replace his unsuccessful predecessor Mark van Bommel, VfL Wolfsburg's search for its footballing identity has reached another level. For two and a half months now, Kohfeldt has been trying to convey a new attitude and a fresh basic idea to the team around Captain Koen Casteels. “Courageous combination football”: With these words, goal scorer Wout Weghorst sums up what the team should aim at in theory. In practice, nothing came of this on the 18th matchday that could give a little cause for hope, storm and stress.
The prospects remain bleak. With no spectators in the stands, VfL Wolfsburg will host Hertha BSC Berlin on Saturday. Both teams are running after their own expectations and have to be asked why the financially less well-off competition from Bochum, Mainz or Freiburg is doing better. Both clubs are well advised not to read up on the Internet how strong the fans' soul is already.
A few weeks ago, Kohfeldt was praised for his communication skills and openness. Now he is already considered a fine speaker by particularly sharp critics, who could lead VfL Wolfsburg in the middle of the relegation battle. “I am absolutely certain,” says the 39-year-old thought leader, “that we will get out of this situation.” It sounded similar in the fall of last year when Kohfeldt was unable to prevent Werder Bremen from falling into the Second Bundesliga .
With Managing Director Jörg Schmadtke and Sports Director Marcel Schäfer, there are two people in Wolfsburg who are responsible for critical issues.
In the summer of 2021 you decided to declare van Bommel as the new VfL head coach - which quickly turned out to be the wrong decision.
Both were of the opinion that Kohfeldt had to be a good successor solution.
No discernible learning curve
This explains why there is currently only a meek debate in Wolfsburg about the future of the new coach. Schäfer has observed that the team literally soaks up what Kohfeldt wants to convey to her. This includes, for example, finding playful solutions under pressure. Much more pressure to succeed than in the upcoming home game against Hertha BSC can hardly be staged. Shepherds like Schmadtke go to great lengths to publicly support Kohfeldt and to hold on to him.
VfL Wolfsburg has inglorious experience how the relegation battle feels and can be managed. The club had to play the relegation games against aspiring second division teams in 2017 and 2018. What was thought to have been overcome as an annoying dent in the club's vita is now threatening again. According to his employment contract, Kohfeldt is bound to the association until 2023. Schäfer has stepped up to inherit his superior Schmadtke one day.
How long this well-intentioned community of convenience can be maintained depends above all on the players' learning curve.
Even experienced professionals like striker Weghorst and midfield organizer Maximilian Arnold seem at a loss.
Kohfeldt recently tried to make the players heard more with the help of a short Christmas vacation, intensive training units, detailed video analyzes and individual discussions.
The defeat in Bochum suggests that the coach's messages are still waiting to be internalized.