The Hard Tackle draws up three potential replacements for under-fire Borussia Dortmund coach Lucien Favre amid a three-game winless streak in the Bundesliga.
It has been a stop-start campaign for Borussia Dortmund, filled with highs and lows. The 4-0 triumph over Bayer Leverkusen coupled with an equally impressive start to the season has now been overshadowed by a rough patch that has seen them experience a three-game winless streak in the Bundesliga.
The Black and Yellows, after initially being tipped as title contenders, are now dawdling in mid-table, behind Leverkusen – the very team they crushed 4-0 at home earlier in the campaign. As a result, Lucien Favre’s job as head coach has come under tight scrutiny.
The Swiss mastermind has often been criticised for remaining stubborn as far as team selection is concerned. Besides, the questionable treatment to players like Mario Gotze and Mahmoud Dahoud has left a lot of the Dortmund supporters asking for a change.
And here, at the Hard Tackle, we will draw down three potential options Dortmund could pursue in the event of Favre’s potential sack from the Signal Iduna Park.
Florian Kohfeldt
Werder Bremen head coach Florian Kohfeldt is believed to the prime candidate to replace Favre. The 37-year-old has done an excellent job at the Weserstadion after taking charge of Bremen in November 2017.
The Green and Whites were struggling under Alexander Nouri. But, the arrival of Kohfeldt led to immediate improvements, not just in terms of the results but also the overall dynamics of the team. Bremen notably secured three wins in Kohfeldt’s first four Bundesliga games.
He has never had to look back since, helping the northern giants from fighting relegation to finishing in mid-table during the corresponding campaign. However, it was Bremen’s performance last season that really caught the eye as they finished eighth. This was an incredible achievement for the club given their recent history of fighting relegation almost every season.
And amid Dortmund’s struggle under current coach Favre, Kohfeldt appears as an appealing alternative. The 37-year-old has been able to add some defensive stability to an otherwise attack-oriented Bremen side, which highlights his ability to instil balance in the team.
The German may well manage to replicate that with Dortmund and make them less vulnerable in defence while maintaining the same intensity going forward.
Sebastian Kehl
Sebastian Kehl serves as an appealing target for Borussia Dortmund in their bid to find a replacement for Favre. However, one might argue that he could be a risky option given his lack of experience as far management is concerned.
Indeed, Kehl has never coached a professional team. But, he is working as head of the first team at Borussia Dortmund. His mentorship has been important behind Die Schwarzgelben‘s rapid rise in recent years. Besides, the former midfielder has, also obtained an A license in coaching.
What makes Kehl such an option worth considering for Borussia Dortmund is his playing experience. The 39-year-old played for the Black and Yellows for 13 years before eventually retiring in 2015. He received an epic farewell alongside Jurgen Klopp at the end of the 2014-15 campaign, on the final matchday against Werder Bremen.
A lot of top clubs have taken risks by appointing relatively inexperienced coaches. And to that end, Kehl’s appointment won’t come as a surprise, although we ought to look at our final candidate.
Joachim Low
Joachim Low has been under fire after a flurry of disappointing performances by the German national team. The 2014 world champions have hardly performed well since their 2016 European Championships debacle. During the ongoing Euro 2020 qualifiers, Germany most notably lost to Netherlands while also drawing with Argentina in an international friendly this month.
Low’s future will likely depend on Germany’s performance at the Euro 2020. And he might just be sacked if they fail to do well in the coveted tournament. In such a case, the ex-Stuttgart coach could emerge as a potential candidate to replace Favre next summer.
Low has extensive knowledge of German football, having managed the national team for so many years, which could hand Dortmund an advantage. He is also quite experienced when it comes to managing in the Bundesliga – making him a viable target for the Bundesliga giants.
