Rapid Vienna is looking for a new coach: Klauss gone, Kulovits at the helm on an interim basis!

Rapid Vienna is looking for a new coach: Klauss gone, Kulovits at the helm on an interim basis!

SK Rapid Vienna fired Robert Klauß as head coach after around one and a half years. This decision was made amid a difficult period for the club, which included disappointing results and the need for a realignment. Stefan Kulovits has been appointed as interim coach and will be supported by Luka Pavlovic as assistant coach, while the top management around Managing Director Sport Markus Katzer begins the search for a permanent successor. Kulovits and Pavlovic should complete the remaining five games of the season in the best possible way, starting with a home game against Blau-Weiß Linz next Sunday. Katzer confirmed that the environment is challenging in the search for a new coach, as all candidates on the November 2023 shortlist are currently employed. Personalities like Rene Maric, Enrico Maaßen, Ronald Brunmayr and Miroslav Klose were among the possible alternatives at the time. According to [laola1.at].

The coaching ballad at SK Rapid is not viewed in isolation. In football it is clear that coaching changes are often not isolated. A current example is Borussia Dortmund, who are currently struggling in the biggest crisis since the Jürgen Klopp era. After Nuri Sahin was fired as coach, BVB had to temporarily rely on Mike Tullberg, the U19 coach. The effects of this crisis situation are significant: the club has slipped to tenth place and is seven points behind the minimum goal of Champions League qualification. Sports managing director Lars Ricken emphasizes the urgency of getting points against Werder Bremen, while long-time managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke plans to retire in the autumn.

Challenges in changing coaches

At Rapid Vienna, Katzer made it clear with regard to the requirements for the new coach that language skills do not necessarily have to play a role, but the coach should have the ability to convey emotions. This criterion could expand the search for a suitable candidate beyond the well-trodden Bundesliga path, even if it does not reduce the complexity of the search. The uncertainty regarding support from the sporting management is also a point that many clubs are currently experiencing and cannot be ignored.

The situation in Dortmund reflects these uncertainties. Critical decisions, such as promoting Ricken to sports director without previous experience in this area and bringing back Sven Mislintat, have created dissonance within the management structure. Despite these difficulties, those responsible emphasize the need to maintain trust within the team and the relationship between sports director Sebastian Kehl and Mislintat. The question arises as to whether Rapid can learn from the challenges of other clubs in order to achieve stability in the coaching position and in sporting leadership.

The developments at both clubs, Rapid Vienna and Borussia Dortmund, show how important it is to maintain sporting identity while facing the harsh realities of modern football. It is uncertain whether these realignments will be successful in the long term, but the challenges do not go unnoticed by those responsible.