2. Bundesliga
Currently sitting 14th in the Bundesliga 2 standings, Hertha Berlin have tasked experienced coach Stefan Leitl with the job of boosting team fortunes following Cristian Fiél's departure from the club.
The 47-year-old was most recently in charge at Hannover – where he achieved a sixth-placed finish last season - and once oversaw Greuther Fürth’s promotion into the Bundesliga soon after enjoying a spell at the helm of Ingolstadt.
Speaking about the club’s new appointment, Hertha Sports director Benjamin Weber said, “We are happy that we were able to bring in Stefan Leitl, a very experienced coach who knows the league very well and has proven in his previous positions that he can shape and develop teams and players. We are convinced that [both he] and his assistant coach Andre Mijatović will quickly get us back on track.”
Hertha's latest setback in the second tier - a 2-1 reverse against Fortuna Düsseldorf on Matchday 22 - was the team's 11th loss of the campaign and left them 14 points off the promotion places, leading to Fiél's dismissal.
Watch: Fortuna Düsseldorf 2-1 Hertha Berlin
As he stepped into his new role, the former Bayern Munich youth player and Germany U21 international midfielder Leitl said, “Hertha BSC is a big club with enormous potential and a passionate fan base. The task of stabilising this team, developing it further and making it successful excites me enormously. I look forward to working with the players and the club and the fans who make it unique.”
The tactician's first task at his new side comes in the form of a Matchday 23 encounter at home to Nuremberg under the Friday-night lights.