Jürgen Klopp’s friendship couldn’t save Marco Rose from the axe. RB Leipzig dismissed Rose as head coach on Sunday, with the team at risk of missing out on Champions League qualification. Along with Rose, his coaching staff—Alexander Zickler, Marco Kurth, Frank Geideck—and first-team soccer director Frank Aehlig were also relieved of their duties in a move aimed at sparking a turnaround ahead of Wednesday’s German Cup semifinal against Stuttgart.
Rose’s final match in charge was a 1-0 defeat at Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday, marking Leipzig’s sixth consecutive away loss and third straight game without scoring. This defeat pushed Gladbach above Leipzig into fifth place in the Bundesliga, while Leipzig could drop to seventh if Freiburg avoids defeat against Union Berlin on Sunday. Only the top four Bundesliga teams secure Champions League spots, and Leipzig has won just one of their eight games in the competition this season.
“Considering the team’s performance and ongoing lack of results, we believe new leadership is necessary to achieve our goals for the remainder of the season,” said Leipzig’s sporting director, Marcel Schäfer.
Rose, who has a personal connection with Klopp, joined Leipzig in September 2022. Under his guidance, the team qualified for the Champions League twice and won the German Cup in 2023. The club announced it will reveal his successor soon.
