Wolfsburg interim head coach Daniel Bauer jokes about already having permanent appointment | OneFootball

VfL Wolfsburg are suddenly and most unexpectedly riding high following their second consecutive Bundesliga victory. Interim head coach Daniel Bauer led Germany’s green company team to another upset win on Saturday afternoon. One week after besting Union Berlin 3-1 at home, Wolfsburg took all three points ofd Borussia Mönchengladbach 1-3 away.

Wolfsburg also surprisingly drew Eintracht Frankfurt 1-1 away on matchday 12. The seven points gleaned from the three-match unbeaten run now have the Lower Saxon Autostädter pulling away from the relegation pack in 13th place on 15 points. Bauer might be poised to emulate the career path of the head coach he defeated on Saturday. Few expected Eugen Polanski to receive the Gladbach job permanently. 

Does Bauer have a chance at the job?

All of Wolfsburg’s administrative chaos has certainly worked in the 43-year-old’s favor. The quest to find a replacement for the sacked Paul Simonis took a backseat to the more exigent need of installing a new sporting director. Precisely the same thing happened at Gladbach. Polanski was given more time while the foals looked for a new sporting director to succeed Roland Virkus. The team gelled under Polanski and, by the time Rouven Schröder arrived, it was clear that Polanski should be allowed to continue.

Wolfsburg finally have their new sporting director in the form of highly respected Bundesliga administrator Pirmin Schwegler. It has been confirmed that Bauer will remain in charge at least through next week’s 2025 capper against SC Freiburg. Speaking to Sky Germany prior to kickoff, Bauer insisted that he “will not stand in the way of a better coach.” Then came the tongue-in-cheek moment at the post match presser. Bauer did end up lobbying in a not-so-subtle manner beforehand.  

Bauer’s words

“We’ve sparked something at the club and in the city,” Bauer said. “We’re on the right track and I’d like to carry on with the lads. I’ve had an appreciate and positive exchange [with club management].”

“Am I still being listed as an ‘interim coach’ by Kicker?” Bauer then pejoratively asked. “I’m the ‘current coach’ of VfL Wolfsburg. After four matches in charge, you can’t really call it interim anymore.”

GGFN | Peter Weis