Women

“That’s extremely frustrating for us”

VfL head coach Stephan Lerch on the consequences of the current match postponements.

VfL Wolfsburg Women had to contend with another match postponement in the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga this week: the game away at SV Werder Bremen, scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday, was called off due to the weather conditions. At the beginning of the year, the Bundesliga opener at FC Carl Zeiss Jena had also been postponed because of the weather. She-Wolves head coach Stephan Lerch provides insights into how the team views the postponement and how they are dealing with the situation.

Stephan Lerch, what impact does the short-notice postponement have on your training schedule and the now match-free weekend?

Stephan Lerch: The postponement has changed our routine once again. We’re training today, tomorrow the players will do individual strength work, and on Sunday they’ll then have a day off from training. We’ll start preparations for the Champions League game against Juventus on Monday. Of course, we’re very disappointed about the postponement. After the winter break, we really wanted to get back into our rhythm. After the match in Jena was already postponed, this is now the second postponement, which is extremely frustrating for us. Especially after the game against Köln, we realised we need matches to rediscover our routines and rhythm.

To what extent does a short-notice postponement affect preparation for a later rearranged fixture? Can the opponent analysis you’ve already done still be used?

Lerch: A short-notice postponement is always a challenge because you’ve already prepared very specifically for an opponent. The analysis doesn’t disappear, of course – it can be used again at a later date. Even so, it’s mentally demanding to keep having to readjust to opponents when games are postponed and then rescheduled.

What particular challenges do the many games in March and April bring?

Lerch: March will start with an extremely intense block. On top of that, many national-team players have longer release periods, and now we have two additional games outside the regular schedule. That means an enormous additional load – physically and mentally. It’s not just about the games themselves, but also quick recovery, ramping back up again and the constant analysis of new opponents. Especially in phases where it’s all or nothing, it’s very demanding mentally. Added to that are extra travel demands due to the newly scheduled away games. All in all, it’s a situation that shouldn’t be underestimated.

Do postponements or rescheduling also create opportunities, for example for targeted individual training or specific content focuses?

Lerch: Of course we try to use the extra time sensibly. Instead of two days’ preparation for Juventus, we now have three days in which we can work specifically on topics that are important for the first play-off match. Individually, players can also continue to develop certain areas. At the same time, we have to take into account that the current temperatures make certain training content more difficult, and we want to reduce downtime as much as possible.

Is there a particular approach to maintaining rhythm despite interruptions?

Lerch: We try to simulate match-like competitive load as closely as possible. A friendly would have been ideal, but it couldn’t be arranged at short notice. That’s why we’re working internally to make the workload as match-like as possible, so that at least athletically and in terms of rhythm we stay in the flow. Still, it’s unbelievably bitter. Especially for tactical processes you need repetition in competitive matches – and that’s exactly what’s now missing. As you can tell, it really annoys me. But we can’t change it and now have to make the best of it.