The loser of the match will probably have to look down. VfL Wolfsburg hosts 1. FC Köln on Tuesday – the two coaches have good and not so good memories of each other.
When Florian Kohfeldt thinks of Steffen Baumgart, the first thing that comes to his mind is the football coaching course they completed together in 2015 – Kohfeldt as the best in the course. “We had an outstanding time,” says the current Wolfsburg player, “those are fond memories.” When the two coaches have subsequently met, there have twice been real bumps in the road for at least one party. Baumgart celebrated his highest victory in a German professional league against Kohfeldt when he won 7-1 against Werder Bremen II on matchday 12 of the 2017/18 season in the 3. Liga with SC Paderborn. The current VfL coach returned the favour with SVW in the Bundesliga in 2019/20, when he won 5-1 at Baumgart’s SCP on matchday 31. And Kohfeldt also has at least one good memory of the latter’s new club, winning 6-1 against 1. FC Köln on the final matchday in 2020, his highest win in the Bundesliga to date.
Five defeats in a row, 2:13 goals – Wolfsburg’s slide
And a result from which VfL currently seems miles away. The reality reads ominously. Five defeats in a row, 2:13 goals, Wolfsburg are in a serious negative maelstrom. The pressure is on ahead of Tuesday s game against Baumgart’s FC – for both clubs. Relegation place 16 is getting threateningly close.
We shouldn’t make the mistake of pretending it’s the same team as last year and it’s all reproducible.
“The team has a duty,” Kohfeldt stressed two days after the 0:2 against Stuttgart, the next setback. The coach is trying everything in and around his team, but has been waiting in vain for a sense of achievement for weeks now. The big question this season: What happened to last year’s fourth-placed team? How could all the qualities of this squad have been lost?
“We shouldn’t make the mistake,” warns Kohfeldt, “of acting as if it’s the same team as last year and everything can be reproduced. You always have to work at something like that.” The willingness to do so has apparently suffered considerably in recent months. In addition, the squad structure has changed due to the new arrivals in the summer, the new coach emphasises. “You have to work out the mentality and the way you want to play again as a group.” Kohfeldt admits: “We have one or two problems there at the moment. It’s important to be clear now what the path of this squad is. If we are honest, we have some catching up to do. “
Kohfeldt must now rectify the failings of the past, and his hands are sometimes tied in the process. He will only gain training time from January onwards, and in terms of personnel there aren’t that many change options at the moment. Against Cologne, Paulo Otavio, who has a serious knee injury, will certainly be absent; a final diagnosis is expected on Monday. According to Kohfeldt, Aster Vranckx (neck problems), who also had to pull out early against Stuttgart due to injury, has a 60:40 chance of playing. The use of Luca Waldschmidt, who has called in sick, is highly questionable.
