First Team

„A special game for me“

Paulo Otavio sat down for an interview ahead of Saturday’s home game against Stuttgart.

Der VfL-Wolfsburg-Spieler Paulo Otavio im Training neben Guilavogui.

VfL Wolfsburg last faced VfB Stuttgart at home nine and a half months ago in a match that not only ended in a 2-0 defeat for the Wolves, but in which Paulo Otavio also sustained a serious knee injury. In this interview, the left-back discusses the team’s current league position, the aims for the season and the upcoming clash with Stuttgart.

Paulo Otavio, following the 2-0 defeat at Union Berlin on Matchday 7, VfL went into the international break in 17th place. What needs to change for the team to climb out of the relegation zone?

Paulo Otavio: “First and foremost we need to find a solution together and show a reaction as a team, not as individual players. If somebody makes a mistake, a teammate needs to be there immediately to help him. On top of that, we need to be proactive, rather than reactive. That’ll make everything a lot easier. Everyone in the team needs to take that on board. Then maybe we’ll have a little bit of luck on our side again, so that if the ball hits the post it goes in rather than bouncing wide.”

VfB Stuttgart are your next opponents at the Volkswagen Arena. You no doubt have bad memories of the last match against them…

Paulo: “Yes, it’s a special game for me because it was in this fixture that I suffered such a serious injury. I remember that I’d been playing well up until that point. I’m looking forward to playing against VfB again now.”

After what you described as “the most difficult year of your career” in 2021, you have regained your place as first-choice left-back. What are your aims for the season?

Paulo: “My main aim this season is to stay fit. Last season I only played eight games so obviously I want more this time around. I also want to give my all in every match. I want to win every tackle I go into. So my three objectives are: to stay fit, to play more than eight games and to win as many duels as possible.”

What do you make of VfB Stuttgart? What will be the key to winning this game?

Paulo: “They’re a very compact team that hasn’t changed much over the last three years. They have the same coach, the same mentality, and they always play with a three-man backline and two very attack-minded wing-backs who get crosses into the box very quickly. Stuttgart have got young and quick players. After all, in our last home game against them, when I got injured, we lost 2-0.

We won’t just need the same mentality we had against Frankfurt, where we were really strong in the tackles and were very compact defensively, but the mentality of the VfL side from 2009. The staff and people here from the surrounding area who were here at the time say that team always stuck together, they were always strong in the tackle and strong as a team. We need to revive that experience that the club had. The Stuttgart game is the time to wake up.”