Leipzig hires Domenico Tedesco as coach to replace Marsch

Leipzig hired former Schalke coach Domenico Tedesco on Thursday to replace American coach Jesse Marsch, who left after a run of losses.

Tedesco will have a contract until the end of the 2022-23 season, the club said.

The 36-year-old German hasn’t coached in the Bundesliga since he was fired by Schalke in March 2019 after a 7-0 loss to Manchester City in the Champions League. Schalke was relegated the season after he left.

Tedesco then coached two seasons in Russia with Spartak Moscow before he left in May, saying it was hard to be separated from his family during the coronavirus pandemic.

Tedesco often focused on defense with his Schalke team, in contrast to the high-intensity style typically favored by Leipzig.

Marsch departed Sunday after three straight Bundesliga losses and a failure to qualify for the knockout stage of the Champions League from a group also containing Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain. He had a tricky task rebuilding the team after key players were sold in the off-season.

Former Cologne coach Achim Beierlorzer, who was Marsch’s assistant, was in temporary charge for Leipzig’s 2-1 win over City on Tuesday. He is now leaving the club.

It’s the first time Leipzig has changed coaches in mid-season since the club was founded in 2009. Leipzig is in 11th place in the 18-team Bundesliga and next hosts Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday.

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports