Wolfsburg coach Kovac: "It's not easy at the moment"
After four Bundesliga games in a row without a win, the mood at VfL Wolfsburg is tense. "It's not easy at the moment," admitted VfL coach Niko Kovac after the 2:2 (1:1) draw against Werder Bremen on Sunday. In ninth place in the table, the professional footballers from Lower Saxony are clearly lagging behind their own ambitions. "We're ninth at the moment. That's all we're entitled to at the moment," said Kovac. "Of course we have our ambitions. We're a bit behind, but we have to stay calm and won't lose our nerve now."
Those responsible in the VW city had actually hoped that the 1-0 win against RB Leipzig in the second round of the DFB Cup would give the team a boost. However, VfL were well served with the draw against Bremen, who had previously been without points away from home. "We're making too many easy mistakes at the moment. It's difficult to win our games when we concede two or three goals every time," criticized Kovac.
The role of captain Maximilian Arnold is also currently causing discussion. The 29-year-old midfielder was initially only on the bench against Bremen, as he had been in the DFB Cup against Leipzig (1:0). Arnold did not want to talk about his role afterwards.
Kovac justified his decision to leave Arnold out in defensive midfield with the recent strong performances of Aster Vranckx. "Aster played a really good game against Leipzig. And he was our best man again today," Kovac said of the 21-year-old. "We are in a meritocracy. I can't tell Aster that he's not playing."
The draw against Werder Bremen extended VfL Wolfsburg's winless streak in the Bundesliga to five games, pushing them further away from their ambitions in the league. Despite their current ninth-place standing, VfL will continue to battle, as their captain Maximilian Arnold looks to reclaim his role in midfield following strong performances from replacement Aster Vranckx.
In the Bundesliga standings, Wolfsburg's rivals Werder Bremen sit only one position above them, but the team that previously struggled away from home managed to hold VfL to a 2:2 draw at the weekend.
Source: www.dpa.com
