"Intensive entertainment"

After 0:5: Ilzer reacts to Kramaric’s angry speech

Christian Ilzer(Bild: APA/dpa/Marijan Murat)

After the 5-0 defeat at Bundesliga leaders FC Bayern Munich, Hoffenheim's house is in a massive mess. Following Andrej Kramaric's angry speech, coach Christian Ilzer has now also spoken out.

The sporting situation is precarious, with Hoffenheim winless for the ninth competitive match in a row. On Saturday, TSG (14 points), who have slipped down to the relegation places, face second-to-last Holstein Kiel (11) away from home. "Our task now, when we have the important game in Kiel in three days' time, is not to destroy each other, but to find solutions to get out of this difficult situation in a healthy and successful way," said Ilzer, also referring to the words of his striker. Kramaric spoke of a "shitty season".

Rage speech
The 33-year-old Croatian gave vent to his displeasure in an interview with ESPN after the 5-0 defeat. "It was clear to me that this would happen. It's a reflection of the whole season. This is a shit season, to be honest." He was still far too soft on that, the attacker added. "If I tell the truth about the club and what's going through my head, then I'll probably get the biggest punishment in the history of the Bundesliga."

Kramaric did not want to say who he was specifically criticizing. "We are currently in danger of relegation and that with a team with good players. But nothing has worked since the changes at the club. Maybe I'll say more in the future." Whether he was referring to Andreas Schicker, who was brought in as Hoffenheim's new sporting director in October, or even Ilzer, who followed Schicker from Sturm Graz a month later, remained open. However, Hoffenheim have been plagued by internal quarrels for some time. The club had only signed new players in the summer after the departure of long-time manager Alexander Rosen, which was criticized by many fans. Schicker only arrived from Graz at the beginning of October.

"I feel a lot of shit at the club"
"There's a reason, with everything they've done in the last few months. We've invested so much money for nothing," said an angry Kramaric cryptically. "This is the first time in my career that I've felt like this. I feel a big shit at the club. If nobody changes that, then I will try to change it." The Croatian does not have to fear sanctions because of his angry speech.

Andreas Schicker(Bild: APA/dpa/Uwe Anspach)

Kramaric has been at TSG for so long that, as a leading player and record goalscorer, he is allowed to express criticism, said Schicker in an interview on the club website. "I spoke very openly with Andrej today about his statements, we cleared up the misunderstandings and set out a joint course for the rest of the season," emphasized the Styrian. 

Ilzer was also disappointed by the poor performance, saying: "You can lose 0:5 here, we need to have a long talk about the manner. Bayern is certainly not our benchmark in our current form. Nevertheless, we have to perform differently here!"