Schlotterbeck backs under-pressure Wagner after fourth straight Augsburg loss

Pressure is mounting on Augsburg coach Sandro Wagner after a fourth straight defeat, but Keven Schlotterbeck insists he is still the right man for the job.

Expectations were high when Sandro Wagner took over as Augsburg coach in the summer, but the former German international has gotten off to a disappointing start to his tenure.

After an impressive 3–1 win in their Bundesliga opener, Augsburg have slumped to four defeats in a row, the latest being a 2–1 loss to Heidenheim on Saturday.

The team’s poor form has raised questions about Wagner, but centre-back Keven Schlotterbeck remains fully behind his coach.

“He gives everything. There’s nothing to argue about. I would never badmouth him,” Schlotterbeck said in a post-match interview, according to Bild.

However, he also stressed that Augsburg will need to step up their game if they are to win again this season.

“It’s about winning games. With a performance like that, you won’t win any of the next 30 matches,” he added.

Wagner himself insisted he still feels the club’s trust.

“Yes, absolutely. No question. But that’s not what it’s about for me. I’m very relaxed about it. I just love being a football coach, and I love being a coach at FCA,” he said.

Speaking self-critically about the recent slump, Wagner said:

“We had set ourselves very high goals. The players wanted it too, you could see that. Probably we wanted too much, as a group we aimed too high, and we looked inhibited. 

“I wished for a different start to the season. Now we have to make sure we leave the bad things behind and try to get the simple things right again. We need to address things clearly and focus on the basics.”

According to Bild, Wagner’s job is not in question, with the management confident he can turn things around.

Wagner and his team will be looking to put an end to their losing streak against Wolfsburg next week.