Tuesday, November 23, 2021
Kohfeldt trend points downwards
Sobering bankruptcy for harmless Wolfsburg
At FC Sevilla there is little to gain for VfL Wolfsburg. The Spaniards are too dominant, the wolves too harmless. You lose with 0: 2 (0: 1). The team from the Mittelland Canal crashes to fourth place in the group, but nothing is lost before the last game against Lille.
The game lost and yet a “final” in sight: Despite a deserved 0: 2 (0: 1) defeat at FC Sevilla, VfL Wolfsburg can still hope to spend the winter on the European football stage. The Lower Saxony have to win their last group game against OSC Lille in the Champions League. Then, however, the yellow-banned national striker Lukas Nmecha is missing. The hosts’ goalscorers were Joan Jordan in the 13th minute and Rafa Mir in stoppage time (90 + 7).
Against the former Supercup winner, the team of coach Florian Kohfeldt, who lost a game with the Wolves for the first time, had little to order. The Andalusians, so far without a win in the premier class, dominated the game and hardly let the guests develop. From the start, the hosts exuded great dominance. Wolfsburg was pushed deep into their own half. A header from Jules Kounde (10th) was easy prey for Pavao Pervan. The Austrian made his Champions League debut as a replacement for the regular goalkeeper Koen Casteels, who tested positive for Corona.
Wolfsburg without a chance
But 180 seconds later, the 34-year-old was defeated. After a cross from ex-Schalke Ivan Rakitic, Jordan was successful with a header. Visibly annoyed, coach Florian Kohfeldt rummaged in the pockets of his elegantly shiny jacket, the 39-year-old had absolutely wanted to avoid an early deficit. In the following years, too, little changed in the superiority of the Andalusians, even if the back team of the guests stabilized. And the Lower Saxony at least put a first pinprick forward: Striker Lukas Nmecha pulled from 18 meters (23rd), Seville keeper Yassine Bono directed the shot to the crossbar.
The Wolfsburg problems did not decrease even after the break. As in the first 45 minutes, the game of the Bundesliga sixth, accompanied by 400 fans to Spain, suffered from an imprecise passing game and lack of ideas on the offensive. Seville coach Julen Lopetegui was able to calmly follow the events in the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan stadium. Kohfeldt, on the other hand, became more and more restless and reacted in the 66th minute: Yannick Gerhardt, who mostly missed the game, was replaced by Maximilian Philipp to increase the pressure on Seville.
But even this personnel measure initially failed. Driven by 30,000 spectators, Sevilla was much closer to a second goal than VfL to the equalizer. Furthermore, the third place in the Primera Division was safer on the ball and more combinable than his opponent. And once again Kohfeldt tried everything: Two offensive forces – Paulo Otavio and Dodi Lukebakio – should force the sporting turnaround in the last quarter of an hour. But in the end Seville met.