Hoffenheim coach under fire after 5th loss
Markus Babbel is under increasing pressure after his side's fifth loss in eight Bundesliga games.
BERLIN: Hoffenheim remain in the bottom three after they crashed to a 4-2 defeat at Nuremberg on Wednesday with Japan midfielder Hiroshi Kiyotake scoring twice for the hosts and Hoffenheim now badly need to beat Bremen at home.
Having conceded 32 goals this season -- the worst defensive record in the league by far -- Babbel s position is becoming increasingly precarious having only taken charge in February.
Babbel was furious that his tactical instructions were not followed at Nuremberg and the ex-Bayern Munich and Liverpool defender turned on his players in the wake of the defeat.
"I have long since been protective of the players but you reach a point where you expect that they can do the simple things, which belong to football, up to 100 percent, even when it s more like 19 or 20 percent," he fumed.
"This is not about Markus Babbel, this is about TSG Hoffenheim. They have to do everything, or it will be a very, very difficult season. You have to wonder what is in the players heads.
"I will do all I can to get us out of this difficult situation. That is clear."
With just one win in his last nine games and Hoffenheim patron Dietmar Hopp currently on holiday in the United States, general manager Andreas Mueller has given Babbel a job guarantee -- albeit only until the end of the week.
"Markus will sit on the bench on Sunday," he said. "It s not about one person. We are in a precarious situation and we must do everything that we can to get out of this together."
