“Very pleased”

VfL head coach Niko Kovac gives a positive assessment following the end of the training camp in Portugal.

VfL-Wolfsburg-Trainer Niko Kovac geht über den Trainingsplatz.

After just over a week in Almancil, Portugal, VfL Wolfsburg head back to Germany today. In an interview, coach Niko Kovac reviews the training camp and looks ahead to the friendlies against FC Augsburg as well as the league restart against SC Freiburg.

Hello Niko, the winter training camp in Almancil is over. What’s your assessment?

Niko Kovac: “We’re very pleased with the training camp. On the one hand, it’s because the conditions with the training ground, the hotel and the weather were ideal. On the other, it’s because we got through all the training content that we wanted to work on. We did a fair amount of physical work, so we’ve used this week well and we want to round it off with the game at Augsburg, and then go into next week fully fit.”

VfL-Wolfsburg-Trainer Niko Kovac gibt Ridle Baku bei einer Dehnübung Hilfestellung.

Unlike previous preparations for the second stage of the season, the focus at this training camp wasn’t on fitness…

Kovac: “A few things changed with the World Cup taking place this winter, meaning it was like a second pre-season. We split it in that we gave the boys a break after the last Bundesliga match of 2022 against Hoffenheim. Then in the first three weeks of training, the focus was very much on the physical side. After the Christmas and New Year break, we felt that we needed to concentrate more on sharpness and fine tuning, as well as technical and tactical elements. We wanted to get into a rhythm and that’s what we used this week for, ahead of the Bundesliga starting again.”

On Saturday there’s the double friendly against Augsburg. What are you expecting from both games?

Kovac: “We have a technical and tactical focus that we want to implement. We’ll try to impose our game against Augsburg – that’s our goal. We want an intensive session as well as an intensive game. One week later it’s back to business in the Bundesliga, and you need 90 minutes in the legs for that.”

VfL-Wolfsburg-Trainer Niko Kovac gibt seinen Spielern Anweisungen.

The Bundesliga finally resumes on 21 January with the home match against Freiburg. How much are you looking forward to that?

Kovac: “Thankfully the wait is over. Of course we’re looking forward to it, there’s nothing like competitive games. But whenever you start something, or in this case restart something, nobody ever quite knows where they’re at – neither we nor the opponents. It’s therefore about finding your feet as quickly as possible and starting the second part of the season with a good result.”