2nd league - Kaiserslautern part ways with coach Schuster
1. FC Kaiserslautern has surprisingly parted company with coach Dirk Schuster. This was announced by the second-division soccer club, which has been winless for five matches.
Schuster took over in May 2022 and led the Red Devils to the Bundesliga 2 shortly afterwards. Like the 55-year-old, his assistant Sascha Franz was also relieved of his duties.
"FCK is reacting to the current sporting situation in the Palatinate by releasing the coaches. After an unsatisfactory second half of last season in terms of results, the team was able to start a positive series in the first third of the season, but overall the trends show an unsatisfactory development, so that those responsible have decided to take this step," the club announced.
Schuster: "A great time"
Schuster bid farewell to FCK with a big thank you to the fans and also with pride. "The Betzenberg is once again being spoken about with respect and appreciation in soccer Germany," the former coach wrote in a message to the supporters of the traditional club. "You can be proud of that. And that makes us proud too. That's why we can say: It was a great time. A great time with you!"
"I think it's relatively normal for there to be difficult phases, especially in the second year," summarized Schuster. "Our common goal was a midfield position - and that's where we're handing over the team now."
Wimmer hot candidate for successor
Despite the recent negative series, the coach quake in the Palatinate had not been on the cards, at least publicly. The hot candidate for the vacant position is Michael Wimmer, who is under contract with Austria Vienna and with whom FCK is said to have already held talks, according to information from "Kicker".
Schuster was appointed as the successor to Marco Antwerpen at the end of the 2021/22 third division season - just before the ultimately successful promotion relegation against Dynamo Dresden. Last season, he led FCK to ninth place as a promoted team. In the current season, Kaiserslautern currently occupy eleventh place with 18 points.
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- Kaiserslautern's struggle in the 2. Bundesliga prompted the club to release both Dirk Schuster and his assistant Sascha Franz, who had guided the team to the Bundesliga 2 after taking over in May 2022.
- Originating from the Palatinate region, 1. FC Kaiserslautern has been experiencing a disappointing run in recent matches, leading to the decision to part ways with their influential coaches.
- Schuster, who took over from Marco Antwerpen, led Kaiserslautern to a ninth-place finish in the Bundesliga 2 last season, but the team has been struggling this season, currently sitting in eleventh place with 18 points.
- Although Michaël Wimmer of Austria Vienna is rumored to be a potential successor for Schuster, the recently concluded series of losses had not been anticipated, at least publicly, for the team based in the Rhineland-Palatinate state.
- Sascha Franz, like his mentor Dirk Schuster, was also relieved of his duties following Kaiserslautern's disappointing performance in the 2. Bundesliga, a league that has been notorious for its pressure-filled atmosphere and high expectations.
Source: www.stern.de
