Erzgebirge Aue will need a new coach in the summer. Analyses have shown that a new direction must be taken.
This comes as a surprise: Pavel Dotchev has been coach of third division club Erzgebirge Aue since December 7, 2022. He has coached the “Veilchen” in 169 games, but it is now certain that they will part ways at the end of the season.
Aue is having a decent season, sitting in sixth place after 14 matchdays despite a budget cut. However, the club has a different vision for the future, as it has now announced.
Dotchev will therefore have to leave at the end of the season. The board, supervisory board, and management of Aue had previously discussed the latest developments, the sporting prospects, and the future direction of the club at length, analyzed the current situation, and come to this decision.
Roland Frötschner
“We know, of course, that we owe a lot to Pavel Dotchev. He led the team out of a difficult phase two years ago and played a key role in establishing it in the upper third of the 3rd division.
It is no coincidence that Pavel Dotchev has been on the sidelines as FCE coach 169 times in three seasons, more than at any other club. That is why it was so important to us to be open with this great personality. Fairness dictated that we be transparent and provide clarity for the coach, the team, and the club before the winter break,” explained Aue president Roland Frötschner.
The question now is: Will the coach and team see it through, or will the coach become a liability once the personnel decision has been made?
Aue’s sporting director Matthias Heidrich believes that the early communication of the plans will once again sharpen the focus of the head coach, staff, and team. “We all have the same goal: to continue the current season successfully and finish it in the best possible way. We have prevented any distractions and contractual uncertainty in the decisive phase in the spring with the announcement of the decision that has been made. From now on, we will all work together to give Pavel Dotchev the most dignified farewell possible. He has more than earned it.”