Second-bottom and two points from eight, Wolfsburg on the brink | OneFootball

Wolfsburg are second-bottom in the Bundesliga and closer than ever to a first relegation. They have been in the top flight since 1997.

According to L'Équipe, they have dismissed Daniel Bauer, who replaced Paul Simonis in November, and reinstated Dieter Hecking, coach from 2013 to 2016. He has been tasked with keeping the 2008-09 German champions up.

With nine matches left they are four points behind the relegation play-off place held by Sankt Pauli. They have taken only two points from the last eight games.

The squad includes Christian Eriksen, Lovro Majer and Maximilian Arnold. Young French defenders Saël Kumbedi and Jeanuël Belocian are involved, the latter on loan from Bayer Leverkusen and among the few positives.

Arnold said the malaise runs deep and the team are trapped in an unfamiliar spiral. He fears the group may not be built for a survival fight after starting the season aiming for Europe.

Yannick Gerhardt, a decade at the club, described poor health and low morale, adding that solutions are proving elusive.

Hecking begins away to third-placed TSG Hoffenheim on Saturday at 15:30. Off the pitch, the budget stands at 180 million euros, sixth highest in Germany, and Volkswagen chief executive Oliver Blume said everything will need to be reviewed once the season ends, whatever the outcome.

Only 14,500 attended the 2-3 home defeat to Augsburg three weeks ago, just under half the Volkswagen Arena’s capacity.

Source: L'Équipe