Can Jan Siewert Save Huddersfield?

Huddersfield have appointed former Borussia Dortmund II coach Jan Siewert as their new manager, prompting excitement and a feeling of positivity amongst the fans following David Wagner’s sudden exit from the club.

Wagner felt he could not go on as the boss any longer with Huddersfield sitting bottom of the Premier League table and just eleven points on the board. Despite keeping them up last season, the 47-year-old did not believe that he could add any anything more to the side.

In the days shortly following the announcement of the termination of Wagner’s contract, it was revealed that Jan Siewert was the most likely replacement, and he was unveiled as the new boss on the 21st of January.

Jan Siewert is a 36-year-old of German nationality and has been working as a football manager since 2015, when he began as Rot-Weiss Essen coach.He later managed at VfL Bochum as the U19 team coach, but he did not remain there for long and quickly found another new club.

He soon switched to Borussia Dortmund II, where led them to a second placed finish in 2016-17 and left the club in fourth position in the Regionalliga West division in Germany. His former side were unbeaten in their past three games in all competitions and had a record of ten wins, five draws and six losses thus far which put them ten points from the top.

Siewert’s final match as Borussia Dortmund II coach saw his side come from behind to beat Willem II by a score of 3-2.

Huddersfield are currently rock bottom of the Premier League, winning only two of their twenty-three matches this season and netting thirteen goals, the worst goal-scoring record in the division.

Having not earned a single victory since November, a run which has lasted for eleven games in all competitions, Huddersfield look certain to be relegated long before the season officially comes to its conclusion.

Recent results have seen them suffer elimination from the FA Cup to Bristol Rovers, lose to a below-par Manchester City side, and a stalemate with fellow relegation battlers Cardiff City.

Jan Siewert will need to implement his style of attacking play into Huddersfield’s tactics, as his ideas going forward have worked well for Borussia Dortmund II during this campaign, with his former side scoring thirty-six goals up to now and the third highest scorers in their division.

Not only this, but defending will also need huge improvement as Huddersfield have shipped forty goals and have a goal difference of -27. Siewert’s defensive ideas appear to have done only positive things for Borussia Dortmund II as they have conceded just twenty-four goals and have the sixth best defensive record in the Regionalliga West.

It is perhaps too late for Siewert to make any suggestions to the Huddersfield board regarding new signings, however he can certainly work with the group that he already has at his disposal.

With players such as Aaron Mooy and Philip Billing returning from injury, while also having strikers Steve Mounie and Laurent Depoitre, who netted thirteen between each other last season last season, there is no question that Huddersfield’s squad contains the talent required to put up a fight against relegation.
Siewert will need to rally his troops and make them enjoy playing football again, with his new style of attacking and defensive work.

If the new manager can get the best from defenders Mathias Jorgensen and Terence Kongolo to shore up the defence, the rest of the team will recapture the confidence they once had.

It will be by no means an easy job, and it will likely take some time for everything he wants to be implemented, but with a new manager comes a breath of fresh air and Siewert may just be the fresh start that Huddersfield have been craving this season.