Wolfsburg’s relegation was not bad luck, insists captain Arnold

Wolfsburg captain Maximilian Arnold has made it clear that their relegation from the Bundesliga is not a matter of bad luck, but rather a consequence of their own actions. After finishing 16th in the league this season, the team faced defeat in their two-legged play-off tie against Paderborn, marking their descent from the top-flight for the first time in 29 years.

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Previously, Wolfsburg had managed to survive relegation in 2016-17 and 2017-18, but this season's struggle proved too great. Statistically, no Bundesliga team lost more points from winning positions than Wolfsburg, who dropped a staggering 33 points, with Eintracht Frankfurt the next highest at 22.

Arnold, sidelined for the last four games and the relegation play-off due to injury, stated that their failure to maintain leads was a critical factor in their downfall. "You can always earn your luck,” Arnold shared during an appearance on the Behind The Athletes podcast. He elaborated, "We dropped 33 points after taking the lead. These are the parameters that indicate we simply didn't have the stability to prevail in such situations. We let many games slip away in the last 15 or 20 minutes, so fitness was also an issue. And when you've lost your fifth game in the last 10 or 15 minutes, you're always looking at the clock. When wave after wave of attacks is coming your way, you look at the clock and say: ‘Wow, s***! The clock just isn't moving.’"

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