Four game days before the end, three clubs from the 2nd league announced that their trainers are not allowed to continue immediately or soon. For different reasons.
As soon as the Easter days were over, the coaching carousel turned in the 2nd league at a dizzying pace. Tuesday evening, the 1. FC Kaiserslautern ended the cooperation with Markus Beginning with immediate effect. Wednesday afternoon Schalke 04 announced that Kees van Wonderen will play his last four games. Three hours later, Hannover 96 made it officially that André Breitenreiter would no longer be sitting on the bench next weekend.
Lautern wants to climb without the beginning
German professional football is not exactly known for dealing with the employment contracts of its coaches, but three separations in 24 hours are something very extraordinary. However, it is also an expression that the league is praised for its tension, but its quality is criticized – many clubs are not satisfied with what was achieved. And two of the teams who reacted even have chances of promotion. Accordingly, the motives are different.
For those responsible in Kaiserslautern, it was obviously an attempt to initiate the turn and attack third place. After 24 games, the “Red Teufel” dreamed second from direct walking to the Bundesliga, after only four points from the following six games and finally three defeats in a row, Lautern slipped into seventh place.
Lieberknecht should do it like with Darmstadt 98
With three points behind, however, the chance of the relegation is still realistic – only apparently, in the opinion of the decision -makers, is no longer at the beginning. Instead, Torsten Lieberknecht, who had confidently led SV Darmstadt 98 into the upper house two years ago.
“First of all, the focus is on achieving a better result on Sunday against Schalke and bringing the feeling of victory back into the team.“, said the new FCK coach.
This “Stable season” Was the real goal in the Palatinate, but the demands have changed in view of the success – at the beginning it also failed because he and his team performed better for a long time than his own club expected. It looks different in Hanover and Schalke.
Van Wonderen had seen it at Schalke 04
Van Wonderen took over Karel Geraert’s coaching job in October. After a false start with just four points from the first six games, the hopes for a turn were there, but the Dutchman could never fulfill it and awaken the belief that he could create it in the future. Van Wonderen himself also won this impression, after the 2-2 on the Easter weekend against Hamburger SV, he had also publicly expressed the first time that he personally feel the doubts.
“I have to enjoy the four games that are still coming this season. We didn’t talk about it, but it is clear to me that I am no longer here after this season. All signals for it are there”Van Wonderen did not say at the official press conference, but in the mixed zone – and thus surprised the people in charge of his worker.
Schalke reacted a day later with a message that said little but wanted to express that such topics should be discussed internally. On Wednesday, the Gelsenkircheners then reported with a further message that the cooperation with van Wonderen – as expected from him – will actually end after this season.
Who has the spell to make S04 successful again?
The 56-year-old, who had already said at his inaugural press conference “No Harry Potter”has actually not done any magic things that Schalke has been waiting longingly for years. In six seasons, van Wonderen is the eighth coach (interim coach not included) who has to go – and he is not the first to criticize the person responsible.
With Frank Baumann (of course already involved in Van-Wonderen-Aus), a new decision-maker is now looking for a trainer who is supposed to bring Schalke to where Schalke sees himself in particular. There are rumors about the beginning, but especially the big dream that real Madrid legend Raúl comes back to Gelsenkirchen. The ex-striker (played on Schalke from 2010 to 2012) currently trains the second team of the “royal”, and there are already discussions.
Breitenreiter: Immediate separation “logical and consistent”
Lautern wants to success with a new coach, Schalke with a new coach from the coming season – and Hanover somehow both. The placement (10th) and the deficit (six points) are so large that third place no longer seems too realistic, but nothing can be excluded in this 2nd league. Breitenreiter had already climbed with the club in 2017, now he has pulled the ripcord together with the responsible persons – although he too could have been allowed to continue until the end of the season.
“Unfortunately, in too many games we have not managed to convert really good performances into victories. I believe that it is logical and consistent to end the way together at this point if the club wants to realign again from summer”said Breitenreiter, who has been with TSG Hoffenheim since 2022 Huddersfield Town And now in Hanover was released after a few months.
The 51-year-old has in common with van Wonderen and the beginning that they all not held through their clubs for a whole season. Breitenreiter (three victories in 13 games) has become doomed, van Wonderen The lack of belief to make an overheated club again in an actually called number, and at the beginning the changed needs for his strong first nine months in Lautern. The coaching quake has very different motifs.