Christian Eriksen at VfL Wolfsburg: There is so much skill in his feet

When the incorruptible Kevin Großkreutz was asked a month ago which club he would like to get rid of, he didn’t have to think twice. “I wish they would be relegated,” said Großkreutz with the same determination with which he used to dash across the pitch. And he added sarcastically: “Actually, they’re not allowed to go down, the stadium is full, the atmosphere is great.” Like any self-respecting former national player, Großkreutz broadcast his preference across the country in his own podcast. And what was meant – and all those who were never nominated for the DFB team might have guessed this – was VfL Wolfsburg, who are unpopular in almost all parts of the country.

It is part of the diabolical craft of journalism to confront Person X with what Person Y has said about them. They recently had this little joy at the Welt allowed when they met Wolfsburg’s Christian Eriksen for an interview. Did he know Kevin Großkreutz? Yes, replied Eriksen, he knows him. What did he have to say to Großkreutz’s wishes for relegation? “That’s not what we want,” said Eriksen: “There may be people out there who have no connection to Wolfsburg. And maybe other clubs also have more fans. But we and our fans want to stay in the Bundesliga and would be very sad if we didn’t make it.”

Großkreutz would be happy, Eriksen would be sad: This mood should be quite representative of the football country ahead of Wolfsburg’s relegation duel with second division team SC Paderborn (first leg Thursday, 8.30 p.m.). Almost everyone who doesn’t live in and around Wolfsburg could live quite well with the Werkself being relegated. All Wolfsburg residents, on the other hand, shudder at this prospect, which is why they closed ranks before it was too late: After a serious relationship crisis, fans and team reconciled; An approach that became much easier when the now lifeless team found its way back to serious work ethic.

How fit is this Eriksen? And: Seriously, Wolfsburg?!

Which in turn has a lot to do with the 34-year-old Eriksen. When things didn’t work out, the Dane was one of those squad members who didn’t care about VfL’s misery; Eriksen was even seen with tears in his eyes while the Wolfsburg team received a lecture from their own fans. He also played a part in the turnaround on the pitch, with all his coolness, with all the skill that is still in his feet. Eriksen’s season record so far: three goals, ten assists, plus a lot of clever passes, shifts, corners, free kicks. Kevin Großkreutz would probably have preferred it if Eriksen hadn’t come to the Autostadt in the summer. With today’s knowledge, it can be said that without him, the 149-time Danish international who previously played for top clubs such as Inter Milan, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, VfL Wolfsburg would probably have been relegated long ago. That’s precisely why it’s interesting to recall the questions from the last transfer summer: What does he want in Wolfsburg? How fit is he still? Seriously, Wolfsburg?!

Christian Eriksen, it is important to mention to clarify this matter, is Danish. And VfL was, at least at that point in time, probably Europe’s most popular place for kicking exiled Danes: Eriksen met six compatriots when he strode across the Wolfsburg training ground, which was very suitable for the first division, for the first time. There was also Peter Christiansen, the Wolfsburg sports director who was kicked out in March, who, yes, is also Danish. Eriksen wanted to add another stop in a home atmosphere to his world career, but didn’t forget his sporting ambitions: Wolfsburg had once started the season with European Cup hopes – a goal that in no way seemed excessive given the player budget and player quality. At least until Wolfsburg largely stopped playing football. Until Paul Simonis, the first coach, and Daniel Bauer, the second coach, despaired of this locker room full of huge egos. And before the experienced Dieter Hecking took over, he was able to form the Werkself – after a shaky start-up phase – into a group that could once again defend itself with the necessary seriousness against falling into the second division.

In the absence of the injured Maximilian Arnold, Eriksen now wears the captain’s armband on his arm, an image that definitely does justice to his status in and outside of Wolfsburg. Coach Hecking called him “extremely important” last Saturday in St. Pauli, not for the first time and certainly not for the last. In a kind of deciding game for participation in the relegation relegation, Eriksen was once again the Wolfsburg player who settled the matter: with passes, changes of tempo, calm – as well as two wonderfully taken corners, each of which led to Wolfsburg goals.

Eriksen hit the crossbar with a penalty. But Hecking’s gut feeling had expected this miss anyway. It doesn’t matter, said the coach, who instead praised the “aura” and “authority” of Wolfsburg’s most prominent player. In general, people in the Autostadt go into raptures when they talk about Eriksen, about his professionalism, about his presence, about his not-so-broad shoulders, which young players can use to stand up at any time. There’s just one thing they say he doesn’t want to do: ask what it was like at the 2021 European Championships when he was fighting for his life after a cardiac arrest.

“If you are in a relegation zone for as long as we are, staying in the league would be like winning the title for me,” said Eriksen Welt: “There’s no shell for it, but it sure feels like a title.” Eriksen is a down-to-earth person. And that’s not good news for relegation opponents Paderborn.