Position
In spite of the long winter break, VfL Bochum can take heart from a short run of success. Last weekend's 3-1 victory against Hertha Berlin was the third Bundesliga win in succession for the team under coach Thomas Letsch. The final two games of last year brought success against Borussia Mönchengladbach (2-1) and FC Augsburg (1-0). Thanks to the deserved win against Hertha, Bochum are out of a relegation spot for the first time since the second matchday. VfL are now fourteenth in the table. The fans at Castroper Straße are almost euphoric after the fourth home win in succession. Understandable as the season got off to such an alarming start: After six defeats in the first six games, the club parted company with head coach Thomas Reis who had led VfL back to the Bundesliga in 2021 after eleven years outside the top-flight and he comfortably avoided relegation last term.
Thomas Letsch took over an unsettled team on matchday eight but he led them to the first win of the season on matchday nine (3-0 against Eintracht Frankfurt) and in the following weeks he clearly made the right adjustments. Bochum picked up 15 points under him. However, VfL also suffered heavy defeats on the road under Letsch with the exception of the Augsburg game. And now the 54-year-old former maths and sports teacher wants to keep the lid on too much enthusiasm. "Nobody is going crazy. At the end of the day we haven't achieved anything yet." But the match against Hertha Berlin showed, "that the players are up for it and believe they can stay up."
Personnel
Centre forward Philipp Hofmann, signed from second division Karlsruher SC last summer, played a big part in the 3-1 win. The 6' 4" forward netted goals number five and six in the season with a brace. "Physique is Philipp’s strength, and he loves to battle with opponents," said Letsch about the 29-year-old. "Now he is benefiting from our play be more tailored to him." He is fed with more crosses from the flanks than at the start of the season and is better able to position himself as a target man. Hofmann himself remains modest and talks about "classic Bochum football" shown in the game against Hertha. "A lot of second balls were won, good challenges made. That's how we have to play away from home in the week coming up," said the striker looking forward to the matches at Bayer 04 and Mainz 05.
The match against the club from the capital was almost perfect for a second new signing. Brought in on loan from SC Freiburg in the winter break, Kevin Schlotterbeck not only scored his first goal in the Bundesliga on his Bochum debut but also produced an impressive performance in central defence alongside the Ukrainian Ivan Ordets. "It's great to start the year like this and I'm happy if it carries on like that," said the older brother of Germany international Nico Schlotterbeck and he added: "We have to pick up points at home and we can have a go in away games." He should be established in central defence alongside Ordets in the coming matches. On the right side of defence, the fast and athletic Saidy Janko has taken over from top dog Christian Gamboa in the winter break. He is now out of action for four weeks with a torn ligament. The Brazilian Danilho Soares has always played at the left side of defence. Former Leverkusen player Kostas Stafylidis is not an option in defence against the Werkself on Wednesday as he is sidelined with a broken rib.
Captain Anthony Losilla is the key player in midfield. The 36-year-old Frenchman has started all 16 games this season and he recently extended his contract at VfL by another twelve months to 30 June 2024. Up to now, Kevin Stöger and Philip Förster have impressed alongside him. And the Cameroonian Pierre Kunde Malong, another winter signing from Olympiakos, is continuing to find his feet. Thomas Letsch is spoilt for choice up front. Centre forward Philipp Hofmann is a certain starter but four players are options for the positions on the wings: The lightning fast Christopher Antwi-Adjei, Gerrit Holtmann and Takuma Asano, scorer of the winning goal for Japan in the World Cup 2-1 win against Germany, plus stalwart Simon Zoller. VfL have just signed Moritz Broschinski from Borussia Dortmund where the 22-year-old forward played for the U23 team in the third division.
Performers
The Letsch team provided a great example of perfect transition play via fast wingers in the game against Hertha Berlin. A textbook counter-attack involving Zoller, Hofmann and Antwi-Adjei ended with Hofmann scoring the third goal for VfL If they have the space and go through the gears, Bochum – similar to the Werkself – are difficult to stop. Passion, mentality, unbridled desire are qualities VfL can make count.
Problems
Bochum have the most porous defence in the league with 37 goals conceded. No other team has let in as many from set pieces as VfL (16). Above all, there is a lot to be said about the absence of aerial dominance in their own penalty area: Bochum have conceded nine goals from headers – more than any other club. The team have yet to impress on the road. They only have three points from eight games away from home. However, those were picked up in the last away game before the winter break at FC Augsburg. Perhaps Bochum are also on the way up in this respect.
Prediction
It's definitely too early to say that VfL Bochum are on course to register their "third miracle" since promotion in 2021 and staying up in 2022. Avoiding relegation would certainly be welcomed at the club given the poor start to the season. Thomas Letsch has undoubtedly provided a rich source of optimism. In addition, the coach has been able to use the long winter break to work intensively with the team over a longer period for the first time since he came to Bochum. That has given him the chance to convey his approach to football the players. The chemistry between Letsch and his team appears to be right. "We are now playing even more like the coach wants," said Philipp Hofmann. Will that increasingly be the case away from home as well? The two forthcoming matches in Leverkusen and Mainz could be revealing.
