Jurendic: “Needed to make a change”

Press conference after parting ways with Enrico Maaßen

After announcing that FC Augsburg would be parting ways with head coach Enrico Maaßen on Monday evening, sporting director Marinko Jurendic held a press conference on Tuesday to discuss the decision. The 45-year-old spoke about…

…the decision-making process: “We took the time in order to analyse the situation after the first seven matchdays of the season, with the knowledge that we only narrowly avoided relegation last term. We included all the relevant stakeholders in this process, which naturally also included head coach Enrico Maaßen. Our discussions were open, honest and transparent. In the end, we arrived at the decision that the team wasn’t developing as we hoped and that we needed to make a change.”

…the reaction from Enrico Maaßen: “We informed Enno of our decision on Monday evening and he accepted it. Whenever you part ways with a coach, it’s important to remember to be human. Enno has put in a lot of hard work over the last 15 months and pushed for several changes to the squad. Parting ways is never easy, but as a club, it’s our duty to make tough decisions.”

…what the club are looking for in a new head coach: “FCA stand for certain values and we fully backed Enrico Maaßen right until the end. As a result, we haven’t been in touch with any other potential candidates, but we’re also not naïve about the situation. We have come up with a clear checklist of what we want and have reached out to some potential candidates. We’re casting a broad net, and aren’t looking at names, but rather at what they’re capable of delivering.”

…the timeframe to present a new head coach: “We aren’t interested in a quick fix, but rather in finding the best solution. The process is dependent on several different elements, but we also want to give our new head coach enough notice.”

…the current situation in the table: “It’s about bringing stability and balance to the pitch. We have won just two of our last 19 games and are winless in our last 16 matches away from home – the facts speak for themselves. We need to do everything we can in order to start winning games.”