Waited for the right offer
On Sunday evening he received the decisive call from a friend, and on Monday everything was already clear: Jens Keller should lead the second division relegated SV Sandhausen back into the German lower house and forget about the botched start to the season. This marks the end of a long period for the 52-year-old in which he was not on the sidelines. “There were offers where I couldn’t imagine it and where I didn’t see the goals and didn’t have a good feeling,” said Keller at his inaugural conference. During his time without a club, he also had time for other things in life besides football.
The change of coach was “not a hasty act,” explained sports director Matthias Imhof. “We had already discussed it the week before.” The SVS “had to do something new in order not to lose sight of our goals.” The manager was “completely convinced” that Keller was “the right man now .”
The previous coach Danny Galm, who was only hired for the promotion mission in the summer, had to leave after only four wins in 13 games, even though he was considered the ideal solution. “We were 100 percent convinced that this could work,” said Imhof. Successor Keller, whose last engagement at 1. FC Nürnberg ended over three years ago in the summer of 2020, was the only candidate. Imhof revealed: “There was only one conversation.”
SV Sandhausen: Coach Jens Keller relies on passion and switching play
“Matthias and I have known each other for years and have played together,” said Keller as a trust-inspiring factor. “But also the resurgence project. I think the team is well put together and we have good opportunities to attack again at the top. The club is financially sound and healthy. We have opportunities to create something here.”
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The individual players would bring sufficient quality. “The team is currently lacking a little self-confidence.” He expects passion from the team, which started with 18 new additions in 2023/24. “Anyone can run and fight. We don’t need any great tactics. Then I’ll try the idea of football that we implemented over two days.” Keller wants to focus on the “fast switching game in both directions” that he favors in the eleventh place team.
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