In his second game as coach of VfL Wolfsburg, Florian Kohfeldt enters the big football stage. Against RB Salzburg, it’s almost all about everything for the coach and his team in the Champions League.
When he had to leave Werder Bremen last May, Florian Kohfeldt was deep in the relegation battle with the Hanseatic League side, which was ultimately lost even without the released coach. Now the 39-year-old is back, won with VfL Wolfsburg 2-0 at Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday and now sat on the podium of club football’s biggest stage for the first time in his life on Monday.
Champions League instead of the bottom of the table, Wolfsburg instead of Werder, the new life of the football coach who had risen meteorically in Bremen and sniffed the international business, but then reached sporting limits, went into a tailspin and now gets the chance to play in the concert of the greats.
Kohfeldt speaks of an “extremely high level of anticipation”, his premiere in the top flight is something “you’ve dreamed of. Now it will be.” On Tuesday in the so-important home match against RB Salzburg. “I will go to the stadium with an extreme amount of joy, with an extreme amount of desire.” A mood Kohfeldt wants to transfer to his team. “That would be a good key for the game, to go in with joy and conviction. “
Kohfeldt praises his predecessors
The new coach is at pains not just to refer to the positive changes at VfL that have already taken place in Leverkusen and the overall atmosphere. On the contrary. His change of system at the weekend? Almost not worth mentioning. Rather, he says, what he has taken on is the basis for successful work created by others. Kohfeldt does not mention any names, but at two points he emphasises the work of his predecessors, especially Mark van Bommel, even though his work was short-lived.
“The victory in Leverkusen,” Kohfeldt emphasises, “had least to do with me.” But with the players” and “with the work that was done here before. Even though we may have adjusted our basic order a little, I built completely on principles and things that have been in this team for months and years. If that wasn’t there, we wouldn’t have had a chance to win this game.” Praising van Bommel, Oliver Glasner and co: “The coaches who were here before me are to be mentioned. “
No risk with Weghorst
But it is now up to Kohfeldt to steer this season on the desired course for VfL. In the Champions League, despite only two points from the three games so far, staying in the competition for the winter still remains the realistic goal.
“The situation is not hopeless,” underlines the coach, but: “I think it would be very helpful to keep the three points here tomorrow so that we can still hear the Champions League anthem after Christmas.”
Wout Weghorst is very likely to be available again for that. The striker is back in training after his COVID-19 infection, but a call-up to the starting eleven is likely to come too soon for the Dutchman.
“The natural way of things would be a partial call-up,” said Kohfeldt, who wants to rely completely on the medical department in this matter. Because, “I will take zero risks.” Which will be different on the pitch. VfL must win so that Kohfeldt’s Champions League appearance is not short-lived.