Peter Christiansen, the new managing director for sport at VfL Wolfsburg, speaks in an interview about the training camp in Schladming and looks ahead to the friendly against Brentford.
Peter Christiansen, the players and staff had half a day off after the tough test against Como. How did you spend the afternoon?
Peter Christiansen: “In my case it was fairly quiet. I had a few conversations with Sebastian Schindzielorz, which mainly revolved around the transfer window.”
In general, how do you like it here in Schladming?
Christiansen: “It’s really good. The pitch is in good condition, the hotel is very good. I think the players and all of us around them are also enjoying what the chefs whip up for us every day. It’s all perfect as far as I’m concerned.”
We’re more or less at the halfway point of the training camp. How do you assess the team’s work?
Christiansen: “The team have worked hard, not just here but in the whole pre-season up to this point. We’ve already had a lot of sessions and the coaching staff have asked quite a lot of the boys. I think, now that the legs are hopefully getting lighter again, the movements will certainly look more fluid and the work on a technical basis will soon become more evident.”
Unfortunately, two players have also picked up injuries in Mohammed Amoura and Joakim Maehle. How did you take this bad news?
Christiansen: “Things like that are obviously not nice. Thankfully, things haven’t got any worse yet. Mohammed has demonstrated his qualities from day one and, like Joakim, will hopefully be back soon. You never want these injuries but unfortunately they’re part of pre-season. And now others have the chance to show more of themselves.”
You’re still a new arrival yourself. Are you properly settled yet?
Christiansen: “Everyone’s made it as easy as possible for me – here at the training camp as well as in the office in Wolfsburg and everyone around the club. I’m also an open kind of person and have no problem approaching people. It’s been really easy for me to settle in so far.”
Have you spent most of your days in Wolfsburg so far or have you mostly been on the road?
Christiansen: “I think I’ve been in Wolfsburg more often, but they’ve often been very long days. The first two or three weeks were very full on. There were a lot of meetings and conversations, which is completely normal. Being here now in a somewhat quieter environment and getting to know the players and staff better is definitely good for me. It’s a bit of a breather after the intensive start. In football there’s always a lot going on, but I see that as a positive and think we can achieve a lot with this club.”
There’s one final friendly this Friday. How far along is the team ahead of the game against Brentford?
Christiansen: “The ideas and understanding are constantly improving, even though we of course still have some work to do in the coming weeks. Brentford will certainly be a marker. We’ll go there and try to approach it like a competitive match.”
Then things kick off 10 days later with the cup match at Koblenz. How far away is that still for you?
Christiansen: “I’ve not got there in my thoughts yet because we’ve still got a good chunk of pre-season to go. However, we certainly have some interesting assignments coming up with the cup match and then the [Bundesliga] opener against Bayern. The start isn’t firmly in my sights yet but, obviously, I know it’s pretty much round the corner.”
