His assistants for the new coaching team are still being sought. The length of his employment must also be discussed subsequently. The haste with which Ralph Hasenhüttl from VfL Wolfsburg was chosen as the successor to the failed Niko Kovac shows fundamental fear. “The primary goal is to stay in the Bundesliga,” said the new VfL head coach when asked about the long-term goals in Wolfsburg during his introduction.
Hasenhüttl wants to get to know his new team thoroughly in order to save them from relegation. It remains to be seen what will be possible for him and the club, which is fundamentally ambitious. The experienced coach didn’t reveal anything more when he returned to the Bundesliga.
One of the pitfalls of professional football is that coaches who are hired in a hurry are not only greeted with friendly words, but also with unpleasant questions. But Hasenhüttl, 56 years old, appeared very confident during his introduction. He gallantly avoided every faux pas. No judgment on VfL Wolfsburg’s season so far and the eleven games without a win in a row with Kovac, who was released on Sunday after a year and a half. No hastily formulated ideas and goals.
Further than in Leipzig
“There are many ways to play football with a team,” said Hasenhüttl. The Austrian, with the necessary distance, classifies the attacking game against the ball, which was long considered the ultimate tactical option at his former employer RB Leipzig, as one-dimensional. Hasenhüttl believes that he has long since taken a step further with his tactical game ideas.
The honest words that Hasenhüttl chose on his return to Germany’s best league make you sit up and take notice. “I was pretty empty back then,” said the coach who, after successful stints in Ingolstadt and Leipzig, made it to the Premier League for FC Southampton. Having stayed and proven yourself in England’s elite league for almost four years remains a strong achievement.
Exchange with Kovac
On the other hand, Hasenhüttl was unemployed for a year and a half afterwards. He had his first contact with VfL Wolfsburg in the summer of 2023 – when the club was preparing for the season in Seefeld. At that time there was also an exchange with Kovac about his squad and the general conditions in Wolfsburg.
Published/Updated: Recommendations: 3 Christian Otto, Wolfsburg Published/Updated: Recommendations: 4 Published/Updated: Recommendations: 12
Hasenhüttl has a dozen training days left to prepare his team for the away game against Werder Bremen during the international break. Until then, he wants to try to share his personal joy about his new task with the players. “The knowledge I have in my head is longing to be used again. It has to go back on the pitch.”
