Werder Bremen part company with head coach Florian Kohfeldt
Werder Bremen have relieved head coach Florian Kohfeldt of his duties following a 2-0 defeat to Augsburg on Matchday 33, which leaves the Green-Whites in the relegation play-off spot with just one match of the 2020/21 season to play.
Kohfeldt, 38, had been in charge of Bremen since November 2017 and steered the club to safety by the skin of their teeth last season, beating Heidenheim in the relegation play-off by away goals after a 2-2 aggregate draw.
Despite not sitting in the bottom three since Matchday 1 of 2020/21, a run of 10 games without a win - including the most recent defeat at Augsburg - has seen Bremen plummet down the table and face a potential play-off once again at the end of the current campaign.
"Unfortunately after the game in Augsburg, we were no longer convinced that we would be able to stay up with Florian Kohfeldt," said Frank Baumann, sporting director at Bremen. "We are still convinced that Florian Kohfeldt is an excellent coach, but we agreed to make another change now in order still to achieve survival."
That change is the return of legendary Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf for the final game of the season, in which Bremen will host Borussia Mönchenglabdach, needing a win to give themselves any chance of avoiding relegation with Arminia Bielefeld one point above the Green-Whites.
"We are happy that Thomas is taking on this task in such a precarious situation for the club," added Baumann. "We hope that he can bring his experience to the table and get the players ready for the last game of the season."
Related news
Can clubs add to their European squads in January?
We delve into the finer points of the rule book to see what happens to new signings, injured players and previously excluded squad members...
Matchday 15 teams
Harry Kane is back and starts for Bayern as they take on Leipzig in the Matchday 15 opener.
Bochum file protest against Union result
The Matchday 14 fixture was delayed after Patrick Drewes was struck on the head by an object thrown from the stands.