FIRST TEAM
01/08/2018

Pellegrino Matarazzo named as new assistant coach

Pellegrino Matarazzo has been named as TSG Hoffenheim’s new assistant coach. The 40-year-old will round off head coach Julian Nagelsmann’s coaching staff. Matarazzo has been called up from the club’s own academy, in which he coached the under-17s. In addition, TSG have extended the contracts of injury prevention specialist Christian Neitzert and fitness coach Otmar Rötsch until 2021.

“I’m happy that Pellegrino has taken us up on our offer and taken on the role of assistant coach,” says head coach Julian Nagelsmann, who is an admirer of Matarazzo “both professionally and personally” and is looking forward to “working with him and having a new source of input to work with.”

Pellegrino Matarazzo has been at TSG Hoffenheim since July of last year, after arriving from a successful spell working with 1. FC Nürnberg’s academy. Matarazzo, who was born in New Jersey, USA, and holds both American and Italian citizenship, got to know Julian Nagelsmann at the DFB’s 62nd football coaching course. Throughout the course, Nagelsmann and Matarazzo shared a room in the sport school of Hennef.

“We came to the conclusion that we wanted to fill the gap in our staff internally at least until the end of the season.The idea of signing someone externally to a long term contract didn’t really make it past our initial discussions,” says director of football, Alexander Rosen. The hiring of Matarazzo was made necessary after the club granted its previous assistant coach Alfred Schreuder’s request to take his services to the leaders of the Dutch football league, Ajax.

By extending the contracts of Otmar Rösch and Christian Neitzert, Hoffenheim will continue to work with with two “long-time coaches who have not only helped each individual player to improve in their time at the club, but were also a crucial part of the team that qualified for the Europa League thanks to their innovative and detailed work,” says Rosen. “We’re happy that we are able to continue working with them over the next few years.” Matarazzo, Neitzert and Rösch are part of a coaching staff that includes Matthias Kaltenbach (assistant coach), Michael Rechner (goalkeeper coach), Christian Weigl (fitness coach) as well as Benjamin Glück (analyst).

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