German champion and DFB Cup winner with FC Bayern, cup winner with Lazio in Italy, World Cup record scorer and world champion in 2014: As a player, Miroslav Klose has achieved success that only a few footballers can match. In his first position as the main coach, the German is still having a hard time.
After gaining initial experience on the sidelines as assistant coach of the German national soccer team, as coach of FC Bayern’s U17s and in 2020/21 as Hansi Flick’s assistant in Munich, Miroslav Klose moved to the Austrian first division club SCR Altach, where he earned his first job as head coach in the professional field. In the meantime, however, criticism of the former goalscorer is increasing.
Of 23 competitive games with Altach, Klose only won five, leaving the pitch empty-handed a whopping 14 times.
After a 2-1 defeat against SV Ried last weekend, Altach also fell to last place in the Austrian Bundesliga.
A development as a result of which Klose is “no longer undisputed” according to “vorarlberg.ORF.at”. Although the 44-year-old will remain in office for the time being, the air is apparently getting thinner.
A big chunk awaits Klose and Co
According to the report, Klose’s tactical tricks in particular are said to have caused “astonishment”. Against Ried, the former German international set up right-back Manuel Thurnwald as a playmaker. A decision that was all the more astonishing since Klose recently completely renounced Thurnwald’s services.
The seriousness of the situation is underlined by the fact that Altach’s sports director Georg Festetics decided not to issue a job guarantee after the Ried bankruptcy. “We will evaluate that internally together,” Festetics said, according to “vorarlberg.ORF.at”.
However, a six-eye discussion between Klose, Festetics and Managing Director Christoph Längle is said to have revealed that Klose will first have another chance to get the team back on track.
But the tournaround will not be easy. On the coming match day, no less an opponent than leaders RB Salzburg awaits.