He’s been in charge for a fortnight and has three games and three wins under his belt with VfL Wolfsburg On Tuesday, Florian Kohfeldt answered questions about his new job and also took a look back at Bremen.
He took about an hour, Florian Kohfeldt drank a cup of tea in the best Felix Magath manner. The new VfL coach can take a breath during the international break before he and his team are challenged eight more times in the Champions League and Bundesliga before Christmas. On Tuesday, the 39-year-old spoke about …
.. the decision for Wolfsburg: When the phone number of Jörg Schmadtke, the contact Florian Kohfeldt already had in his smartphone, popped up on the display, the coach knew it was on. VfL went looking for a coach after the release of Mark van Bommel and immediately rang Kohfeldt. It took “two days and two nights” with the Wolfsburg officials, the football coach said, after which it was clear that he would be the new VfL coach. What pleased him immediately: Managing director Schmadtke and sports director Marcel Schäfer picked him up from the airport at night, having set off from his holiday home in Fuerteventura, and did not send a driver, which is not unusual. Kohfeldt felt this was an enormous “appreciation”.
.. Jörg Schmadtke: The manager’s relationship with coaches is always the subject of discussion, but in his career Schmadtke demonstrated what he always preaches: he is not a “coach killer”. But especially in Wolfsburg, the memories of his relationships with Bruno Labbadia and Oliver Glasner, which were not free of complications, are still fresh. Kohfeldt is not worried about this, however. “I have always found Jörg to be very cordial, liked his sometimes dry manner. He has a quality that is quite good for a coach: He usually works with his coaches for a long time. “
I don’t like to be someone who only stands for a certain kind of football.
It is also important for him, who still describes himself as a “young coach”, “that there is someone who does not panic at the first problem”. Schmadtke is someone, says Kohfeldt, “who is very strong in terms of content and likes to exchange ideas. And then still gives the coach the freedom to make the decision.” Kohfeldt wants to use the 57-year-old’s expertise for his own benefit: “I would be crazy if I didn’t let the experience of such a successful manager flow into it. I value the exchange and also look for it.”
.. his coaching team: It is rather unusual these days for a coach to join a new club without his team. But that is the case with Kohfeldt – at least for now. “There are several reasons for this,” he explains, who still maintains a good exchange with his team from his Bremen days. “We have worked together in a trusting manner over many years, I have a close and good relationship with each of them.” Especially Tim Borowski and he, “we can already very well imagine continuing to work together in the future. “
Nevertheless: First of all, it made sense for the new coach to start out on his own at VfL, especially since he is not alone. With Michael Frontzeck, whom Kohfeldt has known for a long time, and Vincent Heilmann, there are two assistant coaches, and with Pascal Formann, there is a proven goalkeeping coach in the team. “The quality of the staff is extremely high. And I wanted to make it clear from the start: No team within a team is coming here.” However, he said it was not ruled out for all time “that we might change there again.”
.. his idea of the game: There was a lot of talk about ideas in the past months under van Bommel. It was all about possession, dominance, short passes – which ultimately went nowhere too often. “I don’t like to be someone who only stands for a certain kind of football,” says Kohfeldt, “I think football needs a balance.” For him, who had to say goodbye to parts of the desired possession and offensive football in Bremen in the relegation battle, one aspect is quite decisive: “I want to play extremely aggressive and extremely fast-paced football in both directions. I think VfL fits me well with its basic idea.” The game with the ball will be further worked on in the coming weeks and months, but the recently lost but still existing basis of intensive defending “we will never give away. “
.. Werder Bremen: One matchday before relegation, Kohfeldt had to say goodbye last May. Now, for the first time, he looks at his club, for whom he was on duty in various roles for around 20 years, from a distance. “I definitely follow Bremen, look at the results.” He does not presume to assess Werder’s situation in the 2nd division, “that is not my place”. But: “I’m keeping all my fingers crossed. I’m really looking forward to the day when Werder Bremen play in the 1st league again. “