After negative series
Werder Bremen fires coach Horst Steffen
The Werder Bremen crisis has consequences. The club has parted ways with coach Horst Steffen. But he is not solely responsible for the misery.
Werder Bremen has parted ways with coach Horst Steffen after just seven months. The table 15th. The Bundesliga club was reacting to the negative series of ten games without a win. After the 1-1 draw against Borussia Mönchengladbach, the lead over the relegation place is now just one point.
“It was a difficult decision, but we are no longer convinced that Horst will be able to achieve the turnaround together with the team after this long series without a win,” said sports director Clemens Fritz, according to the club’s statement.
The decision is difficult, “precisely because we value Horst very much. But it is the result of the analysis of the sporting situation and the discussions we have had recently. That is why we have decided to release Horst,” explained Fritz.
Assistant coaches Duarte and Groß are taking over at Werder Bremen for the time being
The two assistant coaches Raphael Duarte and Christian Groß will step in as an interim solution. “We are intensively looking for a new head coach and will take the time necessary to find the best solution for Werder,” said Fritz.
Bremen had only signed Steffen before this season as the successor to current Leipzig coach Ole Werner. He had previously worked with great success at SV Elversberg. At the age of 56, the former Bundesliga professional from Bayer Uerdingen and Borussia Mönchengladbach also took up his first coaching job in the top division.
A lot of criticism also directed at Fritz and Niemeyer
After a decent start to the season and a successful autumn, Steffen and Werder slipped into crisis at the end of November. After the 1-1 draw against Gladbach, the club is only one point ahead of the relegation place. The third Bundesliga relegation in Werder’s history is looming.
But Steffen is not solely responsible for the sporting crisis. Sports director Fritz and professional football director Peter Niemeyer are even more criticized by fans than the hapless coach. In addition to the bad luck with injuries, squad planning in Bremen is the big problem this season. Numerous new additions came late and were only loaned out. So far, only the Japanese Yukinari Sugawara has proven to be a reinforcement.
DPA
tis
