Leverkusen’s longtime manager Rainer Calmund has criticized his former club’s performances in the Bundesliga.
“There are currently too many violin players running around on the lawn who are obviously too good for the dirty work. That’s not how you win a flower pot in the Bundesliga,” said Calmund in an interview with the “Wolfsburger Allgemeine Zeitung”. Champions League participant Leverkusen is only 16th before the game against VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday (3:30 p.m. / Sky) with only eight points.
As an example, Calmund cited the performance of striker Patrik Schick, who scored 24 goals last season and only scored twice this season. “Schick plays as if he’s wearing lead shoes instead of soccer shoes. The boy is unrecognizable,” complained the 73-year-old. “I recently spoke to Rudi Völler. He told me that Schick was constantly injured last season, but he still scored goal after goal. Now he’s in top form and hasn’t even hit a furniture van.”
According to Calmund, someone like Rudi Völler, who handed over the post of sports director to Simon Rolfes in the summer, is now missing. “Of course Rudi exudes incredible sovereignty. When he entered the dressing room, the players respected him,” said Calmund and expressly defended Rolfes’ successor: “But Simon Rolfes – I have to emphasize that despite the critical situation – is doing a great job Well.”
The ex-Bayer manager found words of praise for Wolfsburg coach Niko Kovac despite the mixed start. “Niko was the national coach, he had great success in Frankfurt, he won the treble with Bayern Munich – that’s all there is to say, isn’t it? He is an absolute expert as a coach who has incredible ambition and hates defeat.”