dTheir last moments together were marked by anger and frustration. The die-hard fans mocked the home team. The club management refused to provide further support to the coach. Despite the more than unfortunate situation: giving up oneself was a good thing Niko Kovac Even after eleven games in a row without a win against VfL Wolfsburg, that was out of the question until the end.
The separation announced on Sunday morning put an end to a collaboration that can definitely be classified as a misunderstanding in the Wolfsburg club chronicle. Kovac joined VfL in the summer of 2022 with the aim of one day giving the club another title.
The reality was that Wolfsburg needed a new boost to avoid becoming even more involved in the relegation battle. Ralph Hasenhüttl should hand it over now. The Austrian, who most recently worked at Southampton from 2018 to 2022 and previously worked at Leipzig and Ingolstadt, has signed a longer-term contract, VfL announced a few hours after the first news of the day.
Kovac must have been clear that the separation was imminent. “These guys live, work hard and reward themselves, no matter who the coach is here,” he said at the press conference after his last game as VfL coach. Once again his team started well, played well and in the end lost. The 3-1 home defeat to FC Augsburg was followed by a decision that apparently hit the VfL CEO particularly hard. Marcel Schäfer I had thought I might put it off until the end of the season.
But existential concerns are now being added to the criticism from fans and media pressure. The fear of relegation from the Bundesliga was greater than the courage to continue using Kovac. With him, his brother Robert and Aaron Briggs also lose their positions as assistant coaches.
No tactical development
Surprisingly brave and stubborn, Kovac had tried to make something good out of the lack of success in recent weeks. “The rivals fought,” “they created opportunities,” “they played well”: the coach's perception that there is a big gap between what was seen and what was achieved is correct. However, after matchday 26 there was no VfL professional in sight who turned his back on Kovac or criticized his attitude.
Players and coaches fought hard during an era characterized by much more work and reason than joy for the game and creativity. In a duel against the best teams in the league, it is no longer enough to focus on discipline, fitness and commitment. In a year and a half VfL Wolfsburg Kovac failed to further develop his basic idea of safety-oriented ball-possession football. Whoever has to explain on the tactical board what exactly may be special about Wolfsburg's current game idea faces an exciting or impossible task.
This last home game fits perfectly with the dramaturgy of Kovac's failure. Thanks to a goal from Patrick Wimmer, Wolfsburg took an early lead against Augsburg. They had enough scoring opportunities to finally win again. But Wimmer's controversial expulsion was followed by three goals, much ridicule from the stands and angry reactions. “Of course it's my turn,” said the team captain. Maximiliano Arnoldo about the situation of a club that still has great ambitions despite a reduced budget.
Money and potential
On the last day of the 2022/23 season, VfL Wolfsburg, led by Kovac, lost their place in the Europa League. The belief that something could grow and mature with it later turned out to be a miscalculation. Schäfer, as general manager and sporting director, Sebastian Schindzielorz, responsible for the professional team, now has to face critical questions about whether they kept Kovac and the hope of improvement for too long.
The question remains interesting as to what content is important for Schäfer when formulating the job offer for the position of new trainer. In reality, VfL Wolfsburg wants to be a club that avoids particularly expensive transfers, develops motivated staff and can still aspire to a place in international football. There is a lot of money and potential in the current playing roster, most of which was trained by Schäfer's predecessor, Jörg Schmadtke.
We are now looking for a trainer who is more compelling, who develops, designs and inspires. “What do you mean as a coach when you have 25 points and I just always have to say it's still good? At some point you will feel a little stupid,” Kovac stated shortly before his dismissal. The former coach of Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayern Munich and AS Monaco has repeatedly demonstrated his many years of experience. After the home defeat to Augsburg it became clear for the first time that his attempts to explain himself were also mixed with helplessness and dark humor. Kovac's leave separated something from VfL Wolfsburg, which had grown too little under him in terms of content and interpersonal relationships.