Former football professional Mario Basler was surprised that Miroslav Klose became a coach after his playing career. In his podcast “Basler ballert”, the former teammate of the 2014 world champion was asked whether it was already clear back then whether Klose would be a good coach. “No. Not a good coach, not a bad coach. I thought he wouldn’t be a coach at all,” Basler answered the question.

However, he also doesn’t know how Klose has developed as a person in recent years, said the 55-year-old. The former internationals played together at 1. FC Kaiserslautern from 1999 to 2003. Klose was very reserved as a player back then. “I could never imagine Miroslav standing in front of a team like that and talking to a team,” said Basler about his former teammate. “It was very difficult for me to imagine that he wanted to be a coach.”

FCN under Klose with disappointing start to the season

Klose began his coaching career in the summer of 2022 at Austrian Bundesliga club SCR Altach before being released by the club in March 2023 and taking over as coach in Nuremberg last July.

Bedding, flags, shirts: View the best FCN fan articles on Amazon

Basler believes that Klose’s coaching position in Altach failed because of his preferred style of play. “All we heard from Altach in Austria was that he has a mind of his own, he doesn’t listen to anyone, he plays his system. Even if they were relegated, he would continue to play his system. I just hope that he can play several systems and not just his own, because you need a team for your system. But that won’t be easy for him in Nuremberg.”

After the home defeat against Magdeburg, the atmosphere at FCN is tense – Klose criticized his team’s tackling behavior and intensity. After a disappointing start to the season with four points from many games, Basler said there was talk about “how long Miroslav Klose will continue to be coach in Nuremberg.” The club’s next match in the league is on September 14 (1 p.m.) against newly promoted Ulm, and in the DFB Cup the Franconians will be guests at TSG Hoffenheim on October 30 (8.45 p.m.).