Wolfsburg out to upset wealthy Champions League rivals
October 20, 2022
It's been eight long years since Wolfsburg lifted back-to-back UEFA Women's Champions League titles. For a team that's dominated one of Europe's top leagues for the past decade, it's a drought they're desperate to rectify.
And while their 4-0 demolition of minnows St Pölten on Thursday won't exactly strike fear into their rivals, the manner with which they ruthlessly approached the match showed their sights are set on making an even deeper run in the UWCL.
"We want to win everything," Netherlands international Jill Roord told DW. "They played very defensively so it was hard to create chances but we did well.
"It's early in the season, a lot of players have come back from the Euros, so it's all about trying to get that energy back in the team."
The gulf in quality between the two sides was a chasm, but Wolfsburg were merciless and determined to produce a near flawless performance. In the end, St Pölten were only allowed one miserly shot on goal.
For a club that have won five Bundesliga titles in the past six years and eight straight German Cups, high standards are being set though.
"As a team and also the staff, we set very high standards. It doesn't matter who we play. It doesn't matter if we win 4-0, if we should have won 8-0 they will tell us. That's the way we work and it's one of our strengths."
Depth and class across the field
Roord ran the show, her silky touches in the No.10 role created opening after opening under heavy pressure, while Alex Popp sacrificed her goal scoring instincts to tear around as a holding midfielder.
Janssen unwaveringly commanded Wolfsburg's defensive third, Lattwein pinged raking balls around the pitch with ease, and then, there was Ewa Pajor.
It takes some player to keep Popp out of the No.9 role, but Pajor's more nimble, darting approach makes this team so frighteningly fluid going forward.
The Polish international had two goals before half-time, cleaning up after a defensive error in the 9th minute and calmly chipping the keeper in the 15th. Lattwein and Roord duly doubled Wolfsburg's lead after halftime for the 4-0 victory.
Lofty treble ambitions
Sharing a homemade peach schnapps with her mates pre-game, Wolfsburg fan Claudia summed up exactly why this could be a ground-breaking year for the Wolves, in more ways than one.
"We strengthened the team this season and they still have room to click, even if it's started well," she said.
"We're hoping for the treble. The mix in the squad is really strong, with young players like Jule Brand and more experienced ones like [Marina] Hegering and Alex Popp."
Fellow fan Michael is a little more cautious about any continental success, well aware of the strength emerging among cashed-up English clubs. Arsenal just smashed perennial European champions Lyon 5-1 in their own backyard.
"It’s no longer easy [to win the Champions League], the English and Spanish teams have a lot more money. A lot of our players have left to those countries to play."
But regardless of success in Europe, Claudia's optimism is also matched when it comes to filling the stands.
"After the Euros, football got a lot more respect. It's technically and tactically getting better and more and more interest is coming. With that comes bigger crowds," Claudia concluded.
Growing crowds incoming
Just a well-hit Lattwein long ball from the AOK stadium lies the club's bigger ground, the VW Arena. That's where the Wolves' last Champions League match was held, brimming with 22,000 for a semifinal against Barcelona in April.
On Sunday, they return to the arena to face Bayern Munich in a top-of-the-table Bundesliga clash. More than 17,000 tickets have already been sold.
"After the Euros, it's looking really good in Germany. And this weekend, it's a big crowd, big game, big stadium. We're really looking forward to games like this," Roord said.
The crowd against St Pölten may have been a modest 1,700, but big things await Wolfsburg as they make another attempt at a historic treble. The further they progress in the Champions League, the bigger the opposition, the bigger the crowds, and the more games played in the VW Arena.
As Claudia and her crew drained another celebratory schnapps, they were already looking forward to the success to come.
"Hopefully we'll break the [Bundesliga attendance] record this weekend!"
Edited by: James Thorogood