Position
"It's about becoming a unit that can pick up points as soon as possible," said Hecking at his presentation. "It's about breathing life back into VfL Bochum so we have a realistic chance of staying up." He is able to promise he will endeavour to stabilise the team with his experience. Hecking does have a lot of experience: He has been the coach in 418 Bundesliga matches for FC Nürnberg, VfL Wolfsburg and Borussia Mönchengladbach. Second-tier Alemannia Aachen played under Hecking in the UEFA Cup in 2004/05. One of the key players back then for the Black and Yellows was Simon Rolfes. While the current Bayer 04 sporting managing director moved under the Bayer Cross after that historic Aachen season, Hecking lead Alemannia into the Bundesliga in 2005/06. Up to May 2024 he was sporting managing director at FC Nürnberg.
Now Hecking wants to inspire new passion and emotion at VfL Bochum who had such great plans for this season. Everything was supposed to get better for the club from the Ruhr after their magnificent feat in the play-off against Fortuna Düsseldorf – VfL levelled the scores in the second leg after a 3-0 defeat in the first game and then went on to win on penalties. However, there was a false start to the season under the new coach Peter Zeidler. Bochum were knocked out of the DFB Pokal in the first round in a 1-0 defeat against Jahn Regensburg, who were bottom of Bundesliga 2. And the hoped-for upturn in the Bundesliga did not happen. After losing 3-1 at TSG Hoffenheim, the seventh defeat in eight games, the club parted company with Zeidler and sporting director Marc Lettau. Assistant coach Markus Feldhoff took over as interim coach. Under the former Bayer 04 striker, who made 77 Bundesliga appearances for the Black and Reds between 1995 and 1998, VfL also suffered heavy defeats in the next two games. A 5-0 loss against FC Bayern was followed last weekend by a 7-2 reverse at Eintracht Frankfurt.
The record of the as yet winless Bochum team after nine games is sobering: Just one point in the home game against newly promoted Holstein Kiel (2-2), 29 goals conceded already and a seven-point gap to the play-off place. It's the worst start in the club's history. Dieter Hecking now has to press the reset button as: "At the end of the day, we don't have any points as the one point does not count with such a bad goal difference," said the VfL coach. So it is high time to squirrel away "a few points" before the winter break. They would most like to make a start against the Werkself on Saturday. However, the main priority for Hecking is "how the team plays regardless of the result. Expectations are non-existent as everybody is expecting Leverkusen to win. That can happen. But it's about how we play and how we stand up to them."
Personnel
Hecking will have to manage without defender Bernardo (knee) and striker Myron Boadu (groin) in the game against Bayer 04. The latter with two goals and one assist is the best scorer and provider for Bochum to date this term. Maximilian Wittek and Tim Oermann, who suffered knocks in the week, should be available again. The new VfL coach will probably stick with the previous number one keeper Patrick Drewes, signed in the summer from Karlsruher SC. Hecking said the run of defeats is not down to him. In defence, Maxi Wittek at left-back, Felix Passlack on the other flank plus the central defenders Ivan Ordets, Ernan Masovic and Jakov Medic are regular starters in the team. Anthony Losilla, captain and the oldest player in the squad at 38, usually plays in a holding midfield role alongside new signing Ibrahima Sissoko (RC Strasbourg). The Bochum attack is made up of Dani de Wit, Philipp Hofmann, Matus Bero, Moritz Broschinski and Gerrit Holtmann. The lightning fast left winger at VfL set a new Bundesliga record in the 7-2 defeat in Frankfurt with a top speed of 36.74 kmph. No player has been faster since records were first kept in the 2013/14 season.
Problems
Twelve goals conceded in the last two games alone with a total of 29 let in so far: That clearly shows where the biggest worries are for VfL. It's now about stabilising the worst defence in the league. Bochum have also struggled on the ball. Only Union Berlin (39.1%) have on average less possession than VfL (40.3%) who also have the fewest passes (3,070) of all the Bundesliga teams and the worst pass completion rate (74%). In addition, Bochum are next to bottom in the rankings in terms of converting chances.
The tricky position on the pitch has led to disquiet in the club and discontent amongst the fans. That's why VfL CEO Ilja Kaenzig said: "We have a lot to do every day to restore calm. That mainly consists of communication and information so that everybody feels involved. I think the focus is very much on the sporting side. The mission can only be successful if three elements come together: the right choice of coach who provides hope. The second element is us almost making perfect use of the winter transfer window. The third element will be winning back the fans through those actions so that they can become the twelfth man over the course of the season."
Performers
Even in this troubled season so far, Bochum have shown their strengths in some games and lots of phases. FC Bayern coach Vincent Kompany showed respect for his opponents after the 5-0 victory: "Bochum were very aggressive and pressed very high. You could see that they were really prepared for the duels." And in the 4-2 defeat in Dortmund, , where VfL led 2-0, the Blue and Whites produced an impressive performance particularly in the first half. Dieter Hecking: "I watched the game in Dortmund. I thought it was a really good performance and the first 30 minutes were brilliant. If we were 3-0 up at half-time then we would have won the game." My view of the team is that it can work really well and then something unforeseen happens and that breaks things up on the pitch." If Hecking succeeds in preventing that happening through a new structure and stability then VfL Bochum will be able to hurt a lot of opponents with their physical and courageous approach, particularly up front. The coach is convinced: "We have good players who are not just capable of putting up a fight. It will not be the most refined type of football. We need lots of passion, lots of emotion. But we also have to play football."
