‘Tis the season to be jolly. Yet, for VfL Wolfsburg, the holiday season is proving to be just as miserable as the months that preceded it.
Wolfsburg find themselves dangerously close to the relegation zone with the winter break fast approaching, currently sitting just two points above 18th placed Darmstadt 98. Despite starting the season with a win, the club went eight games without another, before a promising 3-0 victory over SC Freiburg appeared to get them back on track.
However, that wasn’t the end of the road, as they went on to lose to Schalke and draw with Ingolstadt, before suffering yet another defeat to Hertha Berlin this weekend.
Prior to the Berlin game, club director Klaus Aloffs stated that they hoped to pick up nine points in their next four matches, to get their season back on track. However, the latest defeat has left the club’s hopes of a quick turnaround in tatters, and the poor results are unlikely to end any time soon.
A visit from league heavyweights Bayern Munich is up next, before a trip to a high-flying Eintracht Frankfurt side that currently find themselves in sixth, just a point off of the top four. They then face Borussia Monchengladbach, before setting off for the month long winter break.
Given the poor results, some time away from the game might be just what the club needs to regroup, reorganise and push on in the second half of the campaign. However, they may have to do it without a number of their key players, with the transfer window likely to be a difficult one for the club.
The club are reportedly willing to listen to offers for Julian Draxler during the winter window, despite rebuffing a number of offers for the German winger throughout the summer. Likewise, star midfielder Luiz Gustavo has admitted that he is open to a move, with Inter Milan and Juventus reportedly interested, while Ricardo Rodriguez is being targeted by the likes of Premier League giants Arsenal and Chelsea.
Should they depart, the club are unlikely to see much of the fairly large transfer fees that their players will undoubtedly command, with club owners Volkswagen likely to funnel much of the profits out of the club.
Aside from their on-field issues, the club also have the impending Volkswagen scandal hanging over their heads. For years the club has relied on the car manufacturer owners for financial support. Yet, with Volkswagen facing a multi-billion dollar fine after breaching US car emissions laws, they have been cutting costs and reclaiming funds as much as possible over the last year.
Little of the money made from the sales of Kevin De Bruyne, Ivan Perisic and Andre Schurrle, which amounted to a figure upwards of £100 million, was put back into the club, and Wolfsburg are likely to face a similar situation this winter.
All of Wolfsburg’s problems seem to have come at once. Yet, they will have much bigger problems should they suffer relegation this season. Few of their first-team players will be happy to stick around in the second tier and, coupled with the loss of income that comes with playing in the top flight, the club would be fighting for survival.
It’s incredible to see Wolfsburg in this position at this stage of the season, given the quality that they possess. Yet, with just 10 points from 13 games approaching the halfway mark, Wolfsburg are in need of a Christmas miracle if they are to turn their season around.