As of: November 6th, 2025 3:20 p.m
For coach Paul Simonis, VfL Wolfsburg’s Bundesliga northern duel against Werder Bremen is a kind of final. If the Dutchman doesn’t manage to win with his team, things could get tight for the coach, who was only hired in the summer.
Simonis understood what the hour had come, that’s for sure. “It’s normal in football that there’s a lot of pressure on the coach when you don’t win games. I understand that,” he said before the away game on Friday (8:30 p.m., in the NDR Livecenter) at Werder Bremen. And he also understands “that we have to win a game now.”
“We have to win a game now”
The game at the Weserstadion will be Simonis’ tenth as VfL coach. The “positive thinker” doesn’t seem too concerned about the fact that it could be his last in the event of another defeat. “I read very little,” said the 40-year-old. Evil tongues might claim that this might be better.
“The players are self-critical and hungry and that’s the most important thing for me. That’s why I stay positive.”
VfL coach Paul Simonis
Not just Simonis counted
Wolfsburg have recently lost six of seven games in the Bundesliga and cup. Managing director Peter Christiansen and sports director Sebastian Schindzielorz once again expressed their confidence in Simonis after the recent 2-3 defeat against 1899 Hoffenheim, at least for the Bremen game. However, the sporting management itself is threatened with extinction if the club’s crisis continues.
There is a lot of pressure in the Autostadt Wolfsburg
During the following international break, the Supervisory Board will meet with several current and former top managers of the parent company Volkswagen. It’s no secret that twelfth place in the table, just three points ahead of the first direct relegation spot, in no way meets the demands of the management team in the Autostadt Wolfsburg. For the global company that pumps millions into football, it should ideally be the Champions League, but the VfL kickers are already eight points away from a European starting place.
Simonis stands in front of the players
Simonis is aware of all this, but he doesn’t want to pass on the pressure to the professionals on the pitch. He also rejected a key accusation made by players themselves: that this team lacked the necessary attitude. “I can’t say that the players don’t work hard or don’t look in the mirror. They are self-critical and hungry and that’s the most important thing for me. That’s why I stay positive.”
Werder can still look up
The world actually looks positive at Werder at the moment. A success against the struggling VfL would be the third home win in a row. This would mean that Bremen would even be able to reach the European Cup places. However, coach Horst Steffen expects a difficult task, even if the Wolfsburg team hasn’t been able to do much recently. “I don’t expect them to be unsettled at all. They will come here with commitment and try to implement their plan.”
Possible lineups:
Werder Bremen: Backhaus – Sugawara, Pieper, Coulibaly, Friedl – Stage, Lynen – Grüll, Schmid, Mbangula – Boniface
VfL Wolfsburg: Grabara – Kumbedi, Jenz, Koulierakis, Tenth – Arnold, Vinicius Souza – Daghim, Svanberg, Wimmer – Amoura
