Standing violinist? Relegated Bochum with abysmally poor running stats

There's no doubt about it: VfL Bochum's departure from the Bundesliga after four years is entirely deserved. However, some negative figures are still astonishing.

Disappointed faces at VfL Bochum after relegation. Picture alliance/dpa/Revierfoto

There have been only four wins this season, not counting the match with the lighter-throwing incident at Union Berlin in mid-December, which Bochum won 2-0. Remarkably, two victories were truly enjoyable for the fans: the 3-2 win at Bayern , which came as a complete surprise, and the 2-0 win against neighboring Borussia Dortmund .

Apart from that, VfL has set losing records in all possible areas. Never before have they suffered as many defeats at the Ruhrstadion as now (ten), and never have VfL earned fewer points in a season. Currently, they have 22 points; the club's lowest point total is 27, from the relegation year of 2000/2001, and it hasn't been reached since.

Particularly striking and somewhat astonishing: VfL Wolfsburg is also lagging significantly behind its rivals in terms of running mileage. Just imagine: VfL went into their match against FSV Mainz 05 this weekend with the clear intention of using every means possible to seize their last chance of securing a place in the relegation zone. The bottom line, however, was once again abysmally poor running mileage. Coach Dieter Hecking's team managed just 103.4 kilometers. Even FC Augsburg performed slightly worse on this matchday; otherwise, no other team has covered fewer kilometers this season.

Bochum players disappointed, disappointed, disappointment, disappointment after the final whistle, emotions, tears, football 1. Bundesliga, 33rd matchday, VfL Bochum (BO) - 1. FSV Mainz 05 (MZ) 1-4 on May 10th, 2025, Vonovia Ruhrstadion Bochum / Germany. DFL regulations prohibit any use of photographs as image sequences and/or quasi-video

So, a stand-up violinist? Or a group fully committed to preserving their last chance? Of course, this number hardly allows us to draw conclusions about the quality of the performance, the commitment, and the passion. Such a negative rating may also be due to the tactical approach, perhaps.

A look at the entire season, however, suggests that VfL has a major shortcoming to overcome here. Bochum covered an average of 112.7 km per game, placing them 1.8 km behind second-to-last, VfL Wolfsburg.

The comparison with other teams is even more stark. For example, the last opponent in the Bundesliga, FC St. Pauli, who are also trying hard and dedicated to assert themselves in the Bundesliga. St. Pauli is the team that runs the most in the entire league, covering 120.5 km per game, 7.8 more than Bochum.

The fact that VfL Bochum is deservedly leaving the elite ranks after four years in the Bundesliga is, of course, not solely due to their poor running stats. Quality was lacking from start to finish. What's more, the squad was not assembled in a competitive manner by Peter Zeidler and then-sporting director Marc Lettau in the summer, which is why the relegation, which has been a given since Saturday, was unanimously deemed deserved.

So VfL will experience the Bundesliga live once more, on Saturday at FC St. Pauli, and will be shown what can be achieved with relatively modest resources. While VfL performed extremely well in previous years, for example, in the first year after returning to the 2. Bundesliga after eleven years, with 42 points and a 13th-place finish, they have been lacking almost everything this season.

The truth is that while Bochum remains a small player in the Bundesliga financially, other clubs with similar financial resources have fared significantly better. This even applies to Bundesliga newcomers Holstein Kiel, but even more so to Heidenheim and FC St. Pauli.

In the new season, however, it's foreseeable that Bochum will be one of the financial heavyweights. With a professional player budget of €23-25 ​​million, VfL is likely to be in the top third of the 2. Bundesliga.