Days of celebration for the players of Wolfsburg … Will the two succeed? | NDR.de – Sports

by Ines Bellinger

who – which The 10:1 against relegated Jena was a statement and not only was Almut Schulte happy that the VFL ladies gained two days of celebration: a raucous bus ride home from Thuringia and the season finale next Sunday against Bayer Leverkusen, when they won the championship. It is performed in front of home fans (2pm / NDR broadcast live on TV and on NDR.de).

“The German championship is the title of consistency, the title most deserved, the most honorable, which welds the team the most together, especially in terms of the next few years,” the VFL goalkeeper who is retiring after the season told NDR.

Coach Strutt: “I worked hard”

On the cheering circuit in front of Jenna’s big beer shower, coach Tommy Strutt cheered his players on: “Enjoy it, taste it! You’ve worked hard for this,” the 33-year-old told his team, which has surprised everyone this season: Sports Management , competition, but above all – you.

It’s hard to imagine that this is even possible given Wolfsburg’s decade-long success story so far. The women have won the Champions League twice and the Champions League now with seven titles, and a ninth DFB Cup victory is within reach – it will be the eighth in a row. Only in the semi-finals of the Champions League, Lower Saxony lost to defending champions FC Barcelona, ​​who unleashed in front of more than 90,000 spectators at the Camp Nou.

The band and the technical staff turned upside down

The seventh year ‘darn’ as a hero is remarkable because the biggest upset to date occurred in the women’s division of the English Women’s Football League after breaking the title in the last Bundesliga season. Not only in the squad left by top-tier players such as Lena Gosling, Fridolina Rulfo, Ingrid Engin and Zanet Jakapvi. The entire coaching team has also been overturned – from Stefan Lerch and Ariane Hengst & Co. to Strutt, Kim Coolig & Co.

“The German championship is the title of consistency, the title most deserved, the most honorable, which unites the team even more, especially with the vision of the next few years.”
VFL goalkeeper Almoth Schulte

“More than half of the team haven’t won this German championship yet, so it’s something very special,” says Ralf Kellermann. “In addition to a completely new team of coaches, no one was on their pre-season list.” And that’s largely the work of the sporting director, who was responsible for the Premier League’s women’s fortunes for nearly 14 years (until 2017 as coach).

Waßmuth commitment direct hit

Over the years, the former goalkeeper has built an excellent net. Time and time again, he signs not only top international footballers, but also those who have become so in Wolfsburg. Latest example: When VfL brought TSG Hoffenheim’s Tabea Waßmuth to the Mittelland Channel for the new season, it wasn’t necessarily seen as a top-shelf boost. But Waßmuth’s performance really exploded in Wolfsburg. The 25-year-old has scored 11 goals in the Bundesliga and ten times in the Champions League. She quickly extended her contract until 2025.

Gilles Rurd (10 goals in the Bundesliga) is hardly below her. After moving from Arsenal Football Club, the Dutchman has almost seamlessly integrated into the VfL structure. Celebrate too Alexandra Pope and Ewa Bajor are making a comeback after long injuries. After the birth of her twins, Schulte resisted her usual spot in the net. Lena Oberdorf, who has matured into a leading player, along with veteran Svenja Huth and head defense Dominic Janssen gave reliable performances.

Frohms, Brand, Agz, Hegering – Kellermann buys

With the exception of Schulte, who will move to the United States to complete her career in the summer, Wolfsburg have had to deal with less serious departures after the current season. This made it possible for Kellermann to put the team back together again. His shopping spree led him to the best addresses in Germany. So Merle Froms is not just a “substitute” for the ordinary goalkeeper Schulte. He became the number one return in the national team in Eintracht Frankfurt. The best talent in VFL Jolie Brand is from Hoffenheim. The 19-year-old striker, who made her Bundesliga debut at the age of 17, has scored four goals in 15 international matches.

Another notable winger is 20-year-old Sveindis Jonsdottir. The lightning-fast Icelandic had signed with Wolfsburg in early 2021, but left them initially maturing “under the radar” in Sweden for a year. With Potsdam captain Sarah Agres (21) and Bayern Munich’s Marina Hegering, two veteran defenders come to the German champions. The question remains: If Wolfsburg is able to dominate the national competition with a changing squad – what is possible internationally with these reinforcements?

Graduation for Schulte: “Better with the double”

Almuth Schulte will only follow this from afar. The 31-year-old does not want to go into details either about her move to Los Angeles or the European Championships in England. Her focus is solely on ending her nine years at Wolfsburg in VVFL in a manner befitting her stature. In addition to the Bundesliga, this also includes the cup final on May 28 against Turbine Potsdam. “I want to finish the season perfectly, preferably with a double,” she says.

Additional information

At the end of the first half, the Wolfsburg ladies dispelled all doubts about winning their seventh title against the fully burdened Thuringian side. more

Results, standings and matches at a glance. more