Max Kruse is one of the most talented footballers in the country. He is someone who can make the difference. But also one who can cause great dissatisfaction with his extra tours. Coach Niko Kovac is now throwing the ex-national player out of the VfL Wolfsburg squad. Kruse has no future.
With the tailwind of the first victory, Niko Kovac gave the strong man. An hour after the 1-0 (0-0) win at Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt, the coach unequivocally ended Max Kruse's chapter at VfL Wolfsburg. "He was not there today and will not be there in the future," said Kovac on Sky.
For the game, he had already removed the offensive player, who was not exactly easy to care for, from the squad. He had the opportunity "to help the team, but he didn't help her," Kovac announced.
Sports director Marcel Schäfer also argued similarly. "In football things can happen quickly here and there. Max helped us in the second half of the last half. We had a change of coach, where we changed our motto a bit." Now you see "work and passion as priorities" in the association.
The veteran had recently repeatedly criticized his role in the wolves under Kovac. In the last games he was part of the first eleven, but could hardly set any accents. Kruse was "of course not happy" about the decision, emphasized Schäfer. However, he can continue to participate in training. However, a change before the end of the transfer window could not be realized. Kruse's contract in Wolfsburg expires on June 30 next year. He has been with the Werkself since January 30, 2022.
The victory in Frankfurt became a minor matter. The Lower Saxony showed their mental qualities. Kovac should be able to take a deep breath after being released as Bayern coach in 2019 after a 5-1 loss at SGE. "We saw as a team how we have to stand together and work together. That was the key to success. It was a step in the right direction," judged VfL captain Maximilian Arnold.
Maxence Lacroix (60th) ensured the sixth triumph in the last seven guest appearances with their favorite opponent. In the duel between the coaches and their ex-clubs, Frankfurt suffered a completely unnecessary bankruptcy after four games without defeat. For the Champions League game at Olympique Marseille on Tuesday, Oliver Glasner's team has to improve a lot.
Kovac had spoken of "a nice trip" before returning to the Main. But given the club's worst start to the season, there was no time for a pleasure trip. "It's all about reducing mistakes," said the 50-year-old coach. In defense in particular, his team has “a lot of catching up to do”.
He returned to the back four for more stability. Fast transition situations and set pieces should be the offensive recipe - and that led to success almost early on. After a corner, Bartol Franjic (15th) came free-standing to the header, but Kevin Trapp parried brilliantly.
Mainly, however, the Lower Saxony were intent on destruction, received the slightly rotating Europa League champion deep in their own half. And despite the visual overweight, he couldn't think of much, the last pass was often missing.
Exceptions were a narrow attempt by Daichi Kamada (38') from a tight angle and a post crash by Kristijan Jakic (39') from 20 meters. On the other side, Trapp had to defuse a tight low shot from Mattias Svanberg (32nd) before the break, and Lukas Nmecha (42nd) missed after a counterattack.
After the change, the game became much more mixed up, with a lot going on in midfield. A goal could only come from a standard in this phase, Lacroix nodded a corner before Trapp hurried out. Glasner, who moved to the Main from Wolfsburg in 2021, brought in fresh offensive forces in Lucas Alario and Jesper Lindström, but it rarely became really dangerous. In the end, the wolves cheered - and Coach Kovac.
