Bundesliga: Hoffenheim separates from head coach Sebastian Hoeneß

As of 2:51 p.m | Reading time: 2 minutes

Dhe TSG Hoffenheim has drawn the consequences of the sporting decline at the end of the season and fired their coach Sebastian Hoeneß. After Adi Hütter in Gladbach, Markus Weinzierl in Augsburg and Florian Kohfeldt in Wolfsburg, the 40-year-old is the fourth Bundesliga coach to be fired after the end of the season. Hoeneß’ contract in Hoffenheim would have run until the end of the coming season.

“We have always clearly expressed our appreciation for the coach and person Sebastian Hoeneß in the past few months. That’s another reason why the decision wasn’t easy for us,” said Alexander Rosen, Hoffenheim’s director of professional football. “After an analysis that started before the last matchday, we have to admit that the results and events of the past two months have overshadowed many of the many positive aspects that this season had in store and that meanwhile brought us up to fourth place.”

Hoffenheim ended the season in a disappointing ninth place and missed out on the European Cup by a wide margin. On the last matchday the team went down 1:5 at Borussia Mönchengladbach.

“The all-important question we had to ask ourselves after these negative impressions was whether we as a club could start the new season unencumbered in this constellation. After in-depth discussions, we jointly answered this question in the negative,” said Rosen.

“Inexplicable how we broke in”

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Recently, Rosen had demonstratively campaigned for Hoeneß. “Sebastian is a cool, honest guy, not a foam hitter, a strong communicator and an absolute football expert,” Rosen told the “kicker” at the end of April. You work together in a spirit of trust and have common goals. After the defeats against Freiburg (3: 4), Leverkusen (2: 4) and Gladbach (1: 5) that was apparently no longer the case.

Hoeneß looked after the Kraichgau club for two seasons. In his first season, Hoffenheim – shaken by many corona cases and injuries – ended up in eleventh place. This time, given the strong squad, more seemed possible until the big crisis began in mid-March. “It’s inexplicable how we broke in. It wasn’t just a bad spell, it was nine games. That’s too long,” said goalkeeper Oliver Baumann after the last game of the season.

After Gladbach’s 5-1 defeat, Hoeneß spoke of too many injuries and too many goals conceded. He wanted to start with these points in the pre-season, which includes a one-week training camp in Kitzbühel in July. Another head coach will have to do that now.