VfL coach explains himself

Hasenhüttl rows back after “graveyard” comment

"I wouldn't call it that again." After Ralph Hasenhüttl spoke of a "graveyard" atmosphere in the stadium following Wolfsburg's 3:2 defeat against FC Bayern in the Bundesliga opener, the Styrian has now rowed back. 

Background: After the narrow defeat, Hasenhüttl had complained about his own fans at the end of August. "It's only possible together. Sometimes it was just too quiet for me. When my boys throw themselves completely into every duel, when we turn the game around, then there was a brief atmosphere. Then we get the second goal and then it's a complete graveyard again," the Wolfsburg coach was annoyed at the time.

"I demand a lot"
Words that he would not say again. "But I don't see that as a big mistake either. Sometimes it's just important to be critical," he explained to Kicker. "I demand a lot. From myself, from my players, but also from the fans. In order to move forward, you have to get out of your comfort zone sometimes. As a coach, I also have to live with criticism, and then people are quick to say that I shouldn't be so thin-skinned."

The atmosphere at the 2:0 away win against newly promoted Holstein Kiel was fantastic again. "For me, the current situation doesn't have to be the end state. That's why I want to change something in Wolfsburg," Hasenhüttl made clear. To do that, he said, you also need the full will of the fans ...