1. FC Nuremberg still winless: Miroslav Klose staggers towards bitter dismissal

Miroslav Klose firmly believes in a turnaround at 1. FC Nürnberg. However, it's urgently needed, as the former striker's team remains winless in Münster in their fourth competitive match of the season. The pressure on the coach is mounting.

Ultimately, football is a results-based sport; what matters most in the end is what's on the scoreboard at the final whistle. And that's been nothing but disappointing for 1. FC Nürnberg for weeks. "Of course, the pressure doesn't ease with the defeats," said club coach Miroslav Klose after the 1-2 (0-2) defeat at Preußen Münster – the fourth loss in four competitive matches of the season (highlights on RTL+) .

Klose's eleven is therefore in danger of falling to the bottom of the 2. Bundesliga table during the third matchday, and last weekend saw a bitter first-round exit from the DFB Cup at the hands of regional league side FV Illertissen, who are two classes lower.

In Münster, Nuremberg once again completely slept through the first half. Oliver Batista Meier (32nd minute) and Marvin Schulz (43rd minute) put SCP 2-0 up. After the break, Rafael Lubach pulled one back (74th minute), but Nuremberg couldn't equalize. For the Westphalians, it was their first win against Nuremberg in over 74 years, since a 6-4 victory in Münster and a 2-1 victory against the Franconians in May and June 1951. Since then, the club had won four of five matches, including both of their previous season's encounters.

This season, however, Nuremberg remains winless, so Miroslav Klose crept across the Preußenstadion pitch with his head bowed. Midfielder Julian Justvan subsequently addressed his coach in an interview, saying, "It's up to us players," and demanding of himself and his teammates: "We have to question ourselves." Klose himself attempted to express a sense of purposeful optimism: "There's nothing left," said the former world-class striker, but "to believe in it."

What might be encouraging: Last year, Nuremberg also got off to a weak start, winning only one of their first four league games, but ultimately secured their survival early on. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why Klose is "firmly convinced that we can still turn this around." Of course, after around 25 years in professional football, he knows the ins and outs of the industry and will be aware that there will be discussion and speculation about his replacement. Especially if the aforementioned turnaround is still a few weeks away.