VfL Wolfsburg is making headlines with a spectacular 4-4 draw against Energie Cottbus and the unusual situation surrounding striker Fabian Reese. A new management study also places the second-division club behind FC St. Pauli in a comparison.

Fabian Reese has been experiencing an unprecedented reaction across the league since his move from Hertha BSC to VfL Wolfsburg. NDR reports that the 28-year-old forward is being whistled by opposition fans at every away game, even at clubs with no direct connection to Hertha BSC. This kind of league-wide rejection for a simple change of employer is new in German professional football.

Previously, displeasure in such cases was mostly limited to supporters of the former club. In Reese's case, however, fans of Energie Cottbus or Karlsruher SC, who have a fan friendship with Hertha, are also whistling. Energie Cottbus coach Claus-Dieter Wollitz criticized the abuse, according to NDR: "I find that impossible. It's not right. What has this player done as a person?"

In a wild match, VfL Wolfsburg let a 3-0 lead slip against newly-promoted Energie Cottbus and had to settle for a 4-4 (3-1) draw in the end. The Süddeutsche Zeitung describes how Robert Glatzel scored an early brace from a penalty (4th minute) and after a mistake by the visitors (34th). Vinicius Souza (25th) and Mattias Svanberg (79th) seemed to secure the home win.

But Cottbus refused to give up and scored through Luca Erlein (45.+4), King Manu (49th), a penalty from Tolcay Cigerci (67th) and Dmytro Bogdanov (90.+1) to snatch a surprising equalizer. Wolfsburg defender Mathys Angely was sent off with a second yellow card late in the game. With this draw, VfL remains 4th in the current standings, but is four points behind leaders Hertha BSC.

A new management study comes to a surprising result in a comparison of two clubs. It states that FC St. Pauli outperforms VfL Wolfsburg in the ranking examined. The exact criteria and methodology of the study were not disclosed in detail, but the placement is causing discussion.

For VfL Wolfsburg, who have scored ten goals and conceded six so far this season, sporting success is clearly the priority. The team under coach Tobias Strobl is unbeaten after four matchdays with eight points and a record of two wins and two draws. Their recent form reads DWWD.

The next challenge for VfL Wolfsburg awaits on September 12, 2026. The team will then play an away match at FC St. Pauli, who are currently in 15th place in the table. All upcoming fixtures can be found in the club's fixtures list.

Against this backdrop, the team around Fabian Reese, who continues to impress with his performances despite the persistent whistling, must rediscover their concentrated defensive work. The squad depth can be viewed, among other places, on the squad page. The draw against Cottbus shows that in the 2. Bundesliga, every lead must be hard-earned and fiercely defended.