Wolfsburg coach Dieter Hecking backs Jonas Adjetey after costly penalty

Before his first game back in charge of Wolfsburg, Dieter Hecking has made a point of standing by defender Jonas Adjetey after his recent mistake.

The centre-back conceded a penalty in the final match under former coach Daniel Bauer, but despite that, he still has a real chance of starting against Hoffenheim.

“He was punished for a moment of inattention with the penalty. You could see it did something to him during the game,” Hecking explained at Thursday’s press conference. Instead of criticism, the experienced coach wants to give him confidence: “This is a player who, especially now, needs support so that he can process this mistake as quickly as possible. I am completely unbiased.”

Hecking says he is judging Adjetey solely on their first training sessions together, and the young Ghanaian has impressed. Adjetey has been “totally willing” and has adapted well to the new tactical instructions in the build-up play. Mentally, too, he seems to have moved on. “He seems to have processed the mistake. That’s important to show me he could be an option – even to start in Hoffenheim,” Hecking added.

Whether Adjetey starts will also depend on the defensive setup against attack-minded Hoffenheim.

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