Wolfsburg fires coach Paul Simonis after poor start to season

WOLFSBURG, Germany (AP) — Wolfsburg fired coach Paul Simonis on Sunday after the team’s lackluster start to the season.

Wolfsburg lost 2-1 at Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga on Friday, its third straight defeat including the German Cup exit to second-division side Holstein Kiel.

Wolfsburg has lost seven of its last eight games, while the team has won only two of 10 league games this season.

The Volkswagen-backed club said in a statement that assistant coaches Peter van der Veen, Tristan Berghuis, and Martin Darneviel were also leaving along with the 40-year-old Simonis, who was hired in June after leading Go Ahead Eagles to a surprise Dutch Cup win in April.

“This step hurts me personally,” said Wolfsburg’s managing director for sport, Peter Christiansen. “Still, we have to acknowledge that in football, results and points ultimately count, and the developments of the last few weeks have not gone as we all hoped. After intensive discussions with the supervisory board, we came to the conclusion that a change is now necessary to bring stability and success to the field. We all bear responsibility for the current situation – the sporting management, the coaching staff, the players, and the entire club,”

Daniel Bauer, Wolfsburg’s Under-19 team coach, was to take over again “until further notice,” the club said.

Bauer took over the team previously for the last two rounds last season after Ralph Hasenhüttl was fired following a run of eight games without a win. Bauer recorded a win and a draw.

”We know how he works and are convinced that he can initiate the necessary steps for positive development together with the team,” Christiansen said.

Wolfsburg next faces Bayer Leverkusen at home on Nov. 22 after the international break.

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