NEWS
Despite Poor Start: Sandro Wagner Receives Backing
The former assistant coach of Julian Nagelsmann has had a poor start at Hannover 96. He now receives backing from his boss.
The hoped-for coaching effect at Hannover 96 has been completely absent so far under new coach Sandro Wagner!
After the first three league games under Wagner, a meager point is on the books. With a total of eight points from the first nine games, the club around Austrian international Benedikt Pichler is currently only in 16th place in the 2. Bundesliga.
Furthermore, the 96ers were eliminated from the DFB-Pokal yesterday on Wednesday by league rival Kaiserslautern. The crisis at Hannover is growing.
Boldt Backs Wagner
Wagner, who had taken over the coaching position from Christian Titz during the extended international break, is already with his back against the wall after just a few appearances. Sporting Director Jonas Boldt at least backed his coach after the Cup exit. Wagner will continue to be on the sidelines: "As long as I'm here, definitely."
However, according to "BILD," Boldt's work is increasingly viewed critically. But that leaves Boldt cold for now: "Personally, no one has told me that we are talking about a misunderstanding."
That "unease" is arising around the club is "logical," said Boldt: "The unease has been there for a while – that's what I was brought in for. We will work on that."
Performance Acceptable
The performance in the Cup against Kaiserslautern should now provide a boost. Even though Hannover ultimately lost 0-2, they showed their best performance under Wagner.
"The game doesn't match the result, and the statistics don't either, but that's just football. Unfortunately, we didn't reward ourselves," said head coach Wagner.
No Pressure
The former DFB assistant coach of Julian Nagelsmann certainly feels no pressure: "I am a family man, there is other pressure in the world. I have none," said Wagner.
For the 38-year-old, Hannover is his third spell as head coach. From July 2025 to December 2025, he coached FC Augsburg in the German Bundesliga in 14 games. At the beginning of his coaching career, he was also active at Unterhaching before moving to the DFB as an assistant.
