Werder Bremen fires Horst Steffen as coach after 10 games without a win in the Bundesliga

BREMEN, Germany — Werder Bremen fired Horst Steffen as coach on Sunday after a 10-game run without a win in the Bundesliga.

“It was a tough decision, but we are no longer convinced of the fact that Horst was the person to spark the team’s turnaround following this long run without victory,” sporting director Clemens Fritz said. “This realization was a bitter pill to swallow, since we truly value Horst.”

Bremen hired Steffen last summer from second-division Elversberg, which he led from the fourth tier almost to the Bundesliga, only missing out on promotion to the top division because of a late goal in a playoff.

Bremen had fired its previous coach, Ole Werner, because he declined to extend his contract. Werner is now the Leipzig coach.

Steffen’s final game in charge was Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Borussia Mönchengladbach, earned with a stoppage-time goal, but still a result that leaves the team just one point above the relegation zone.

“Therefore, we have decided to relieve Horst of his duties,” Fritz said.

Altogether, Bremen managed just four wins, seven draws, and nine defeats in the Bundesliga. The team was knocked out in the first round of the German Cup.

The club said assistants Raphael Duarte and Christian Groß will take over on an interim basis. Bremen next faces Freiburg away.

“We are working intensively to find a new head coach and will take the requisite amount of time in order to pinpoint the best solution for Werder,” Fritz said.