Martin Schmidt has a new secret weapon, and he has his team undefeated since taking over as Wolfsburg coach last month. Some post-match tooth brushing rituals have turned the Bundesliga club’s fortunes around, resulting in a four-match unbeaten run, including a 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich.
Andries Jonker was fired by Wolfsburg after winning one match in his first four in the Bundesliga campaign. Wolfsburg finished just above the drop zone last season and decided to turn to Swiss coach Schmidt to right the ship. Schmidt has instituted this new policy to help his players recover.
“When you are completely drained, there is an acid reaction,” Schmidt said. “The acid goes into the bloodstream and can influence recovery.”
Thus, Schmidt has forced his players to brush their teeth right after every match. (Note: Do not click on that link above unless you are willing to subject yourself to every tooth pun imaginable in the span of about four sentences.)
Whether or not the science is proven, the tactic appears to be working. In his first match in charge, Wolfsburg drew 1-1 with Werder Bremen. Schmidt’s men then drew Bayern Munich, Mainz and most recently Bayer Leverkusen. While four points from four matches isn’t exactly championship quality, it pulled Wolfsburg out of the relegation zone and into 14th place in the Bundesliga.
The win against the reigning league champion was the most striking as they clawed back from down 2-0 in Carlo Ancelotti’s final league match in charge of Bayern Munich.
This isn’t the first tooth-brushing story out of the Bundesliga this season. Earlier this year a fan from Hoffenheim was seen brushing his teeth during a Champions League qualifier against Liverpool. But Hoffenheim lost both matches against Liverpool and fell into the Europa League.
Maybe Hoffenheim players should start following the lead of their fans. Who knows, maybe by the time the World Cup rolls around, players (not from the U.S.) will be brushing their teeth in the middle of the match. Anything to get an edge.
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