Wolfsburg’s fortunes must change

The opening game of the 2017/18 season didn’t bode well for Wolfsburg, who lost 3:0 on their own turf. Fast forward three games, and their coach Andries Jonker was gone, with successor Martin Schmidt only lasting 23 games more before throwing in the towel as well. Bruno Labbadia took over to try and rescue the sinking ship. Even he could not steady things, and in the end the club finished 16th. Victory against Kiel in the relegation play-off meant that Wolfsburg stayed up for another season of Bundesliga football.

Work – Football - Passion

Now the club from Lower Saxony must prove that they’ve learnt from the troubles of the last two seasons. Labbadia is committed to the team and wants to create a new mentality. He also let the team choose the captain and players’ council. Ill discipline is punished with fines or by other means: “Sometimes it’s a lot more effective when the players have to share the kit man’s duties. It’s no fun for them, but it is for everyone else watching,” says Labbadia. The 52-year-old is keen to uphold the values of the club’s motto: ‘Work – football – passion’.

The Wolves strengthened their squad early on in the transfer window. Left back Jerome Roussillon arrived from Montpellier, while Felix Klaus arrived from Hannover to play on the opposite side. Players with an attacking mindset like Daniel Ginczek from Stuttgart and Wout Weghorst from AZ Alkmaar have helped to bolster the team’s offensive capabilities. The hopes of the club are pinned on them, and they should help the Wolves to rediscover their bite.

A breath of fresh air and new staff

Changes have also happened off the pitch. The club has regained a proper figurehead with Marcel Schäfer’s appointment as Sporting Director. The long-serving Wolfsburg man will support the newly-appointed Chief Executive Jörg Schmadtke. It would be wrong to assume that the club will instantly rediscover the success they had under Dieter Hecking. Finishing in the top ten would be seen as a good result for the runners-up and cup champions from 2014/15.

Wolfsburg are targeting the upper reaches of the table in the long run. Schadtke realises this: “When the world’s largest car manufacturer is your parent company, you can’t be relegated or just finish 14th every year.” An executive from Volkswagen, in the form of Frank Witter, has become head of the board of directors, even though the former second division player had already signalled his intentions not to meddle in Wolfsburg’s daily operations.

The early signs are encouraging. Wolfsburg won a friendly 3:1 against Champions League side Napoli with a confident display. The Wolves were forced to work hard once the season had started on the other hand, with a lacklustre 1-0 victory against SV Elversberg putting them into the second round of the DFB-Pokal.

Die Knappen have been warned, as one thing is clear – after two unsuccessful years, Wolfsburg will do everything they can to start off the season with a win.