RB Leipzig fire coach Rose with top-four in doubt

RB Leipzig have fired coach Marco Rose, days out from a German Cup semi-final clash at Stuttgart, the club said in a statement on Sunday.

Jurgen Klopp, Head of Soccer at parent company Red Bull, was not named in the statement and has said previously he would not step in as coach, whether on a permanent or interim basis.

Leipzig slipped to sixth in the table after Saturday’s 1-0 loss at Borussia Moenchengladbach, their sixth successive away match without a win.

The Saxony club are three points behind a place in the top four and Champions League qualification for next season.

They face a tight battle for the remaining two spots, with league leaders Bayern Munich and defending champions Bayer Leverkusen all but assured of a place in next season’s competition.

Leipzig-born Rose took over in September 2022 and guided them to a German Cup triumph in his first season in charge, along with third place in the league.

The club also won the DFL Supercup, equivalent to England’s Charity Shield, with a 3-0 win over Bayern Munich at the start of the 2023-24 season.

Last season, Leipzig finished fourth, with Germany awarded five Champions League placings due to UEFA coefficient placings.

“We believed in Marco and his team for a very long time and tried everything until the very end to turn things around together,” sporting director Marcel Schaefer said in a statement.

“However, given the current situation and the lack of results, we are firmly convinced that we need a new impetus for the remaining games to achieve our goals this season.”

Leipzig thanked Rose for his time at the club but the coach was not quoted in the statement. The remainder of his team were also dismissed.

The 48-year-old, who previously coached Red Bull Salzburg, Borussia