The stadium sausage was tainted with a pinch of unpleasant nausea.
VfL Bochum and Holstein Kiel are still searching for their initial victory in the Bundesliga. While the newcomers stunned Bayer Leverkusen, an age-old saying is being employed in the Ruhr region. A talk is promptly put to rest.
Former Bochum star, Frank Goosen, is highly esteemed in the city. A local icon, if you will. He's deeply dedicated to the VfL and frequently expresses his affection in eloquent terms. His famous Bochum quote, "Because it's Saturday", has become a rallying cry in the stadium: "It's exactly the same situation as last Saturday!" This signifies that the club isn't having the best of times. However, they always find a way to emotionally lift themselves out of the looming abyss.
This summer, they did so in an impressive manner. At Fortuna Düsseldorf, they engineered a minor football miracle in the relegation playoff. Now, players and coaches in Bochum can start searching for new materials to construct something significant once more, like the individuals at Opel, Nokia, or the steel industry used to do. All of that is now history, but the VfL remains. Yet, once again, they are hurtling towards the depths. After six matches, the team is bottom, has just one point, and following the 1:3 defeat against VfL Wolfsburg, there's talk about the coach?
Well, at least not officially. Peter Zeidler can stay. "I will answer this question only once: We will not discuss the coach today, or tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow," said Bochum's sporting director Marc Lettau. The fans of the club are not lacking in self-deprecating humor. One of them asked that evening: Then we have a new coach on Tuesday? The VfL is concerned about becoming a similar (costly) coach-eating machine as the once-prominent neighbor FC Schalke 04. So, for now, they carry on.
Sometimes, the team shows that it can
But what happened in Bochum? Towards the end of the preparations, the VfL suddenly ignited great excitement. Two impressive victories against FC Bologna and Le Havre AC had lifted the atmosphere beyond the post-relegation lethargy. Could there actually be more than the eternal struggle against relegation? This question from late summer has been answered by autumn's beginning. The answer is: no! The struggle for survival in the 1st Bundesliga is the only thing that matters. Challenging, like a drive over the A40 (or currently the detour A448), stressful, aggravating, but in the end, they reach their goal?
That the team is capable of winning it, is hinted at in some phases. Against RB Leipzig, they came close to a surprising point. Against BVB, the big sensation was on the brink, had Myron Boadu not scored the 3:0 in the first half (eventually, it ended 2:4 for the VfL). And even this Saturday against the Wolfsburgers, there were moments that showcased the team's potential. But not enough, once again. Additionally, there are bitter setbacks. In the 18th minute, they were celebrating a penalty in the Ruhrstadion. In the 20th minute, it was taken away after video review. In the 21st minute, it was 0:1. And at half-time, it was even 0:2. Then came the strongest phase of the Bochumers, they pressed, pushed, and scored (72.). But they didn't capitalize on their efforts and lost deservedly in the end, also because Wolfsburg tested their Metal several times.
Back to the coach question: When could a change in thinking take place? "At the moment where the team starts to falter and no longer appears as a collective, and we're not pulling in the same direction. Then we would seriously consider it. But that was definitely not the case today," said Lettau. Instead, the boss and coach highlighted the positive developments they had observed. "From the result, it's obviously no progress, but in terms of content, I saw some progress," said Zeidler. Many fans had a different perspective and are likely still looking for progress this Sunday.
Against the VfL from the north, Zeidler stuck to his bold idea, even after the negative experiences of the past weeks, to play offensively and press the opponent high and early. However, this also created gaps in the defense. The guests often needed just a long ball to become a threat in front of the opponent's goal. The international break now offers the opportunity to address these issues and make another run from the bottom of the table. "We know the feeling from last year, we're playing catch-up again. That's extremely frustrating," admitted striker Philipp Hofmann.
And there's a small consolation for the Bochum fans: In the 2022/2023 season, the VfL needed nine games for their first win, a year later it was even ten. They managed to stay up both times. However, and this is the bitter truth on the stadium sausage: After the next game against crisis rival TSG Hoffenheim, the opponents are Bayern Munich, Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayer Leverkusen, and VfB Stuttgart.
Despite the current struggles, VfL Bochum's history of resilience is alive and well. They show glimpses of victory, such as their close call against RB Leipzig, suggesting there's potential for improvement.
As the sporting director Marc Lettau stated, a change in coaching would only be considered if the team starts to falter and doesn't function as a cohesive unit. For now, they continue to search for their initial victory in the Bundesliga, hoping to repeat their miraculous relegation playoff success from this summer.
