Crisis in Wolfsburg: Arnold talks about Kovac's switch
Captain Maximilian Arnold has criticized the many changes and rotations made by coach Niko Kovac at VfL Wolfsburg, at least in passing. The team in eleventh place has fallen into a crisis in the Bundesliga and has picked up just one point from its last five games. Observers also attribute this to the fact that Kovac changes VfL's system so frequently and swaps players around.
"When there are more changes, some players are naturally dissatisfied," said Arnold in an interview with the "Wolfsburger Allgemeine Zeitung" (Monday). "You notice that yourself, you want to perform, then mistakes happen. I do believe that there is a certain amount of uncertainty at the moment. But not because of the changes, but because of the situation we're in, that we've already lost a lot of games. We're only human. That does something to you."
Arnold himself has also been affected by the rotation and has lost his status as an undisputed regular this season. "My situation is obviously not satisfactory," said the 29-year-old.
He described his relationship with Kovac as follows: "We spoke to each other. He explained his point of view, I explained mine. I don't want to be misunderstood: I don't have to go for a coffee every week, but a regular exchange is important." And: "Of course a coach should have a different relationship with his captain than with the other players. After all, that's why you have a captain."
Kovac himself has repeatedly denied any connection between the poor results and his personnel decisions. The 52-year-old explains the sporting situation primarily with the many individual mistakes made by his players.
Despite the criticism from captain Maximilian Arnold, VfL Wolfsburg's coach Niko Kovac continues to manage the Bundesliga team with frequent system changes and player rotations, even as they struggle in eleventh place with only one point from their last five games. Arnold expressed concern about the uncertainty caused by the rotation, impacting his own playing time as he's no longer an undisputed regular in the Soccer team this season.
Source: www.dpa.com
