16/06 2005
Season review part III
- First goal after 832 minutes: Thomas Brdaric scores against Stuttgart
Wolfsburg - The top match of the 13th game was without a doubt the one that took place in the VOLKSWAGEN ARENA. It was there that first place Wolfsburg received third place VfB Stuttgart. The situation in the standings was tight: Schalke 04 was in second place with the same amount of points and goals as VfL. Stuttgart and Bayern München trailed by only one point each in positions three and four. A loss could have dropped the green-and-white down to rank number four.
As they had done three times before this season, Erik Gerets' team came back from a loss with a "three". The Belgian coach referred to the masterful 3-0 win over the Swabians as "probably the best tactical game of the season" for the VfL. The hero of the day was once again Martin "Marto" Petrov. Nothing and nobody could stop the Bulgarian national player, who laid the foundations for the win with two goals in a row.
VfL holds its own against top team Stuttgart
Thomas Brdaric also had reason to celebrate, having ended his 832 minute goal drought by scoring the third goal of the game. And his first in front of the home crowd. This victory brought the Wolves to the pole position for the eighth time. But the next three games didn’t go nearly as well. On the following weekend the Wolves went north to meet Hamburger SV, and the Hanseatic team was hot.
Although VfL took a quick lead on a goal by Brdaric after only 18 seconds, they ended up suffering a deserved 1-3 loss. Still, the fall championship remained within reach.
- Evil was afoot: Marcelinho in the 1-0
Samba instead of tango
The next encounter took place in the home stadium and other laws seem to apply there for the VfL. The Wolves received Hertha BSC in the VOLKSWAGEN ARENA. "Samba or tango?", asked vfl-wolfsburg.de before the match. Who would be the most important player on the field, Marcelinho or Andres D'Alessandro? The answer was clear. The Brazilian dictated the rhythm, dancing around his opponents and scoring three goals for the 3-2 victory.
As a result, VfL fell behind division leader Bayern München and was now tied with Stuttgart for fourth place. Schalke 04 was three points ahead in third place.
Thomas Strunz becomes the new sporting director
On November 28 it finally became official: After an extensive search for a successor to general manager Peter Pander, who stepped down in August, , the VfL Wolfsburg board of directors reached a decision and named Thomas Strunz the new sporting director. The 36-year old former national league player officially started at his post in January, 2005.
- Celebrating after his first German League goal: Thomas Rytter
No luck in the Bay Arena
On the 16th playing day VfL went to meet Bayer Leverkusen with a strong desire to score points. The last four games had resulted in only four points. The positive impression from the first 13 games was beginning to fade. Alas, although the green-and-white dominated their hosts in the first half and took a 1-0 lead with the fifth goal of the season by Klimowicz, in the end the score was 1-2.
With three losses in a row, the Wolves had slipped down into sixth place. Now if they didn't score a victory against surprise promoted team Arminia Bielefeld, VfL might even be forced to spend the winter in ninth place... Fortunately, that did not come to pass.
Rytter’s first German League goal
Right from the start the green-and-white made it clear just who is boss in the VOLKSWAGEN ARENA. In a spectacular performance, they ran rings around their helpless opponent. The result could easily have been higher than 5-0. The 1-0 lead came from a goal by Thomas Rytter after an excellent assist by D'Alessandro. It was the first goal for the Dane after 73 German League games in the VfL uniform. The victory advanced VfL to fourth place.
This was the crowning achievement of the most successful first round ever for VfL in German League. Gerets: "Fourth place is what I was hoping for. I’m very happy." The Wolves’ last performance of the year augured well for the coming season. As sporting director Thomas Strunz said, "Today the team showed a potential that it had only hinted at in the past. One doesn’t have to worry about their future." Unfortunately, things turned out rather differently...
