Bundesliga News

Germany: Bundesliga
FT
0 - 3
(0 - 1)
Mainz 05
Wolfsburg
P. Wimmer (33), M. Arnold (70), R. Baku (84)

Arnold refuses to address Kruse, admits slight slip on free-kick goal

By Peter Weis   @PeterVicey

VfL Wolfsburg skipper Maximilian Arnold not-do-politely declined to comment on comments leveled against him by former teammate Max Kruse following his side's 3-0 victory over Mainz.

Instead, the potential German national team call-up spoke on a set-piece goal he himself could scarcely believe he scored. 
Maximilian Arnold.
Maximilian Arnold.Photo: Werner100359, CC BY-SA 4.0
Maximilian Arnold notched his third Bundesliga goal of the season Saturday against Mainz off a odd set-piece in the 70th minute. Arnold, who played yet another excellent game as the flexible sweeper in Niko Kovac's highly effective new 4-5-1/4-1-4-1 formation, left FSV keeper Robin Zentner looking like a flailing fool as he tried to track the VfL skipper's free-kick service.


Some will be tempted to blame Zentner. Others might laud Arnold's shooting technique. According to the Bundesliga veteran himself, however, he actually just slipped. Arnold conceded that the strike hadn't gone quite as he expected, but that he certainly "had a lot of fun" watching the fluttering trajectory of the ball.

Naturally, the 28-year-old's post-match interviewer wished to know if the potential German World Cup call-up cared to comment on an attack leveled against him by former teammate Max Kruse on instagram on Friday evening. After taking a slight dig at Kruse during his appearance on Kicker Magazine's "FE:male view on Football" podcast, Kruse struck back by labelling Arnold less talented than he.

"Nothing worth mentioning," Arnold noted with a stiff lip, "completely uninteresting. Under no circumstances."

Arnold had clearer words for the performance of his team, who have now gone seven consecutive games unbeaten on-the-trot. The squad captain had high hopes that his "Wölfe" could extend that streak to eight in the coming midweek fixture against Dortmund on Tuesday.

"I'm proud of how the team fought, we won 3-0," he noted, "It's very clear to see how the character of this team is developing. If we continue to play like this and perhaps wake up a little earlier, we can also beat Dortmund at home."


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