With the new season now under way, managing director Peter Christiansen takes stock of how things stand with the VfL Wolfsburg men’s and women’s teams. That includes a look at the development of the former and the impressive displays of the latter, as well as discussing results and the reasons why he remains optimistic despite a number of setbacks.
Peter Christiansen, the VfL men’s team have had a mixed start to the season while the women have hit the ground running. What’s your assessment so far?
Peter Christiansen: “The men certainly haven’t started in the way we’d all hoped. We’ve seen some good things in how we want to play, but we’ve also seen that we’ve still got a lot of work to do. At the start of the season we made too many mistakes, both individually and as a team, and we dropped points as a result. In Augsburg last Saturday we were lacking the basics you need in football: the will to win as a team and the discipline to stick to the tactics required at this level. That’s what we were missing and it’s something we need to improve as quickly as possible. Those things are essential in order to be successful. We were hugely disappointed after that defeat in Augsburg. In analysing that game, and the season so far, we’ve been very clear, precise and honest. Self-reflection is important in order to understand what we need to work on. Now we have to turn these lessons into energy and action.”
On the other hand, things are going really well with the women’s team…
Peter: “I’m delighted with their development. Like with the men’s team, there were big changes over the summer. It’s to be expected that things don’t always run smoothly at the start of a season, but Stephan Lerch quickly gave the team a clear identity and has taken them top of the table after the first five games. Ralf Kellermann has built a stable foundation over the years. That carries us and it also helped us successfully navigate major changes in the women’s squad and staff team this summer. Now we can all look forward to a busy week with the Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday and the top-of-the-table league game against Bayern Munich on Saturday.”
What gives you confidence that the men’s team can turn the corner again soon?
Peter: “Every day we witness the quality, competence and clear structure of the work undertaken here. We have a clear idea of how we want to play football and how the team should develop. Our faith in Paul Simonis and his coaching staff remains unchanged. We are resolutely sticking to the path we’re on, with a clear direction, shared values and long-term commitment. We can’t forget that almost everything changed in the men’s team over the summer: a new head coach, new coaching staff, lots of new players and lots of departures. That makes the task a complex one. But those changes were necessary to put VfL on a sustainable footing. It’s a process that won’t be finished even after this current season ends, but we won’t use these changes as an excuse.”
You often talk about the Wolfsburg path. How would you describe what that is, and how far along that path is the club?
Peter: “It stands for courage, self-confidence and playing clear, dominant football, across the men’s and women’s teams and in the academy. It also stands for the way we want to work together inside the club. We want to anchor our philosophy in every area so that everyone can recognise what VfL Wolfsburg is. That requires a shared understanding and a willingness from everyone to take on responsibility. Over the summer we laid foundations and created structures that are designed to be sustainable. We’re walking this path together as a club, with the players, coaches and employees.”
