Augsburg players livid at result, Reuter plans serious discussions with Herrlich
Reactions to FC Augsburg's fourth consecutive match without a win were not exactly muted. FCA trainer Heiko Herrlich said his team played "a disastrous first half" and called the team's disorganization "sunken".
Club sporting director Stefan Reuter outright refused to back his current head coach in an interview after the match.
Club sporting director Stefan Reuter outright refused to back his current head coach in an interview after the match.
| Heiko Herrlich. | Photo: Bayer 04 Leverkusen |
Keeper Rafal Gikiewicz didn't mince words after the result. Neither did lead striker Andre Hahn. For that matter, Neither did general manager Stefan Reuter.
"We left our balls in the dressing room," Gikiewicz said of the opening 45 minutes when speaking to German broadcaster DAZN, "It felt like a final training session. Nothing positive to take from that match."
The 33-year-old keeper indicated that he had more to say, but ultimately refrained from expressing his views by citing "punishment". Attacker Hahn went into more specifics, criticizing "huge gaps" between the rows of Herrlich's 4-2-3-1.
Rumors about Herrlich's possible dismissal have cropped up over the course of the season, but the FCA's chief exec Reuter has always been quick to shoot them down. Reaching after the result by German footballing magazine Kicker, the 54-year-old assumed a markedly different tone this time.
"I hold Heiko Herrlich in incredibly high regard, but allow me to take the weekend [with him] to discuss and analyze what has happened," Reuter said, "You're well advised to let something like this sink in, sleep on it for a night, and then sit down together and think about how we approach the last three games."
This statement being laced with loaded meaning, Reuter could only repeat himself when pressed. The manager promised to reveal the result of the internal discussions "in due course".
"It is clear that a reaction is urgently necessary," Reuter answered when asked to elaborate somewhat, "We've now only picked up one points against three teams behind us in the table. You have to let something like that sink in."
