WOLFSBURG (dpa-AFX) - VfL Wolfsburg has taken radical measures in their battle against Bundesliga relegation. Following a 1-2 (1-1) defeat to Hamburger SV, both head coach Daniel Bauer and Managing Director for Sport Peter Christiansen have been dismissed.
According to consistent media reports, a familiar face is set to become the new head coach: Dieter Hecking. Hecking led Wolfsburg to DFB-Pokal glory and the Champions League in 2015. Now, he is tasked with preventing the club's first relegation since their Bundesliga debut in 1997. Despite boasting one of the league's most expensive squads, VfL currently sits second from bottom.
Christiansen long under fire
Wolfsburg's Supervisory Board Chairman Sebastian Rudolph praised Christiansen's work with the VfL women's team. "Unfortunately, the sporting results were lacking on the men's side. Therefore, we have decided to terminate our cooperation with him," Rudolph said. A decision regarding a successor for the long-criticized Dane will be made at a later date. For now, Sporting Director Pirmin Schwegler, who was only hired in December, will take on increased responsibility.
Bauer fails to turn the tide
Bauer took over from Paul Simonis last November and was promoted to head coach shortly before Christmas. However, the team has suffered six defeats in its last seven matches.
"This decision was anything but easy for us. We hoped to achieve a turnaround together. In analyzing the overall situation, we came to the conclusion that we must give the team a new impulse to secure our top-flight status," Schwegler stated.
The 61-year-old Hecking, by contrast, has years of experience in all sporting scenarios. Before and after his first stint in Wolfsburg, he managed clubs including Hannover 96, 1. FC Nürnberg, Borussia Mönchengladbach, and Hamburger SV. Most recently, however, he was dismissed by VfL Bochum on September 15 after the team struggled to rebuild following its Bundesliga relegation.
When the 51-year-old Christiansen arrived in Wolfsburg from FC Copenhagen in the summer of 2024, he initially had to work with the existing personnel. When he took significantly more influence ahead of this season, things did not improve; instead, they worsened.
Bundesliga debutant Simonis was overwhelmed by his first coaching job abroad. The current VfL roster comprises 32 players plus additional youth talents. Yet the squad lacks attitude and team spirit - a grievance several players have already voiced publicly.
Major weaknesses in both attack and defense were not addressed this winter. A desperately needed center-forward failed to arrive in either August or January. Defensive reinforcements only arrived on the final night of the transfer window. As a result, Wolfsburg is under a more acute threat of relegation than at any time since their playoff appearances in 2017 and 2018.
Radical measures reminiscent of 2011
Following the first coaching change in November, only the sporting director level below Christiansen had been replaced, with the Swiss Schwegler succeeding Sebastian Schindzielorz.
Now, however, the Supervisory Board - dominated by parent company Volkswagen - is intervening more forcefully than at any time since the spring of 2011. Back then, Managing Director Dieter Hoeneß and interim coach Pierre Littbarski both lost their jobs simultaneously. In their place, Wolfsburg's title-winning coach Felix Magath returned mid-relegation battle./sti/lar/DP/mis
