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

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Wolfsburg captain Maximilian Arnold insists their relegation from the Bundesliga was not down to bad luck, but rather their own doing.

After finishing 16th in the league this season, Wolfsburg lost their two-legged play-off tie against Paderborn as they were relegated from the top-flight for the first time in 29 years.

Wolfsburg won their relegation play-off matches after being in the same position in 2016-17 and 2017-18, though they could not get over the line on this occasion.

No Bundesliga team dropped more points from winning positions than Wolfsburg this season (33), with Eintracht Frankfurt the next highest on 22.

Arnold, who missed the last four games and the relegation play-off through injury, believes their inability to hold onto leads proved to be too costly.

“You can always earn your luck,” Arnold told the Behind The Athletes podcast.

— VfL Wolfsburg EN/US  (@VfLWolfsburg_EN) May 26, 2026

“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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