Torsten Lieberknecht is a former Kaiserslautern player.
Torsten Lieberknecht is a former Kaiserslautern player. - © IMAGO/Blatterspiel
Torsten Lieberknecht is a former Kaiserslautern player. - © IMAGO/Blatterspiel
2. Bundesliga

Torsten Lieberknecht named new Kaiserslautern coach

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FC Kaiserslautern have announced a change in coach with Torsten Lieberknecht charged with overseeing the Red Devils' promotion push following the departure of Markus Anfang.

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In a statement released by the former Bundesliga winners, Kaiserslautern's recent league form was attributed to the switch. Following a run of three straight losses and just one win in their last five second-tier games, FCK find themselves in seventh place in the standings, three points off a promotion/relegation play-off. 

"... the impression of the past few weeks [is] that the team has not fully realised its potential and has not reached its peak performance," the statement read. "After a thorough analysis, those in charge lack the conviction to counteract this trend with the current personnel configuration."

Markus Anfang oversaw 32 games in charge of Kaiserslautern. - Elmar Kremser/SVEN SIMON via www.imago-images.de/imago images/Sven Simon

Anfang took over from last season's DFB Cup finalists at the beginning of the current campaign. He is succeeded by former Kaiserslautern midfielder Lieberknecht, who also took up the reins from the departing Kaiserslautern coach at Darmstadt in 2021.

Lieberknecht later oversaw the Lilies' successful return to the Bundesliga at the end of the 2022/23 campaign. He left the club after four second-tier games this term.

A former FCK midfielder, Lieberknecht's first game in charge of Kaiserslautern is Sunday's home encounter against Schalke.