MUNICH: RB Leipzig, last season’s Bundesliga runners-up, have mutually agreed to part company with head coach Jesse Marsch (pix) after a poor start to the season, the German club said on Sunday.
Leipzig suffered a 2-1 defeat at Union Berlin on Friday for their third consecutive league loss that saw them drop to 11th and piled the pressure on American Marsch who was not at the game due to being in Covid-19 quarantine.
Marsch, who joined this season to replace Julian Nagelsmann, has seen his team win five of their 14 league games this term.
“RB Leipzig and head coach Jesse Marsch have mutually agreed to part ways. The decision is the result of an in-depth analysis and intensive discussions after the Bundesliga match against Union Berlin,” the club said in a statement.
Assistant coach Achim Beierlorzer will take charge for their home encounter against Manchester City in the Champions League, a competition they have already been eliminated from.
Former US international Marsch was the first American to coach a team in the Champions League.
“It was not easy for us to part company... because I hold Jesse in high regard as a person and as a coach,” Leipzig CEO Oliver Mintzlaff said.
“It’s a shame that things did not work out as we had hoped with this setup, and that this step has now become necessary.
“Unfortunately, the development we were hoping for and the results needed to achieve our goals for the season have not been achieved.”
Leipzig said that Marsch’s successor would be announced in the near future. – Reuters
