Jörg Schmadtke is no one who decides things out of his gut. He cannot be guided by emotions, acts in the sense of his club, which has been called VfL Wolfsburg since summer 2018. The experienced manager led the Lower Saxony three times in a row to the European Cup – a typical Schmadtke who has already brought international business to Aachen, Hanover and Cologne in his 20 -year manager career. With all the impulsiveness, the 58-year-old always chooses his public words carefully. It is all the more surprising, as the managing director in the Florian Kohfeldt case changed the opinion within a short time.

“No,” said Schmadtke on Saturday in an interview with the “Wolfsburger Allgemeine Zeitung” when asked whether his trainer would go into the new season in view of the mixed balance with a heavy backpack. “He doesn’t go into the season with a backpack – but with an experience that will help him and us.” Nothing indicated that he would let his tasks relieve this coach, which he had told about the plans for the coming season after the conciliatory 2-2 against Master Bavaria on Saturday. Schmadtke criticized the team (“There were a large number of self -made egoisms in our group” and also (“not every transfer worked”), but Kohfeldt demonstratively protected: “If I am a coach of a team who is the basic requirement for I just can’t claim a Bundesliga game. “

We have come to the realization that we would be exposed to a pressure situation from the start that would mean too large burden.

Jörg Schmadtke

On Sunday now the opinion turned in the completely different direction. The backpack that Kohfeldt had recharged since the end of October with too few convincing games and desolate appearances of his team like in Augsburg (0: 3) and Dortmund (1: 6), suddenly weighed too heavily. “We have come to the realization that we were from the start,” explains Schmadtke with a view to the new season, “a printing situation would be exposed to a burden for team, coach and club.”

What does the Wolfsburg supervisory board have to do with the dismissal?

A turn that is completely atypical for this actually not fitting manager. A U-Turn at the VW club that raises questions? Has the Wolfsburg Supervisory Board, who is said to have had doubts about a “further like this” with Kohfeldt, played a crucial role? Had Schmadtke, who was only in office until the end of January 2023, gave in this pressure from above? Has he actually released Kohfeldt against his own conviction that he had emphasized several times in the past few weeks?

It is indisputable: Jörg Schmadtke has brought the success back to Wolfsburg in recent years, he has remarkably promoted the development of this club, which had almost ended up in the 2nd division in front of him. However, VfL never came to rest under his leadership. Now it does not necessarily bother the Lower Saxony, who are more on the edge in public perception, if they are written and talked about – especially since the success outlined everything. And yet it seemed strange that despite the high altitude under Schmadtke was constantly. Zoff with coach Bruno Labbadia, who went on herself. Zoff with successor Oliver Glasner, who went on his own. And the personal relationship with successor Mark van Bommel, committed in summer with great conviction, should have broken very quickly. With Florian Kohfeldt, Schmadtke now harmonized, the exchange worked – until this strange weekend.