The Sports Day
April 13, 2026, 3:16 PM
Alexander Ende plans to focus on the basics at Fortuna Düsseldorf in the final stretch of the 2nd Bundesliga season. “Overturning everything, starting completely new – that won’t work. We have to walk the tightrope,” said the new coach at his introduction on Monday. The plan for the remaining five games is to “not give the guys a mental challenge, but to leave the good things and gradually move forward in small steps.”
Ende replaces Markus Anfang at struggling Fortuna, marking the second coaching change this season. “I can assure you and reassure you: We did not make the change in coaches to make great puns. That wasn’t the plan, we had something in mind,” said sports director Sven Mislintat with a wink.
He had already been thinking about Ende “before I even knew which second division team I might work for,” said Mislintat, who joined Fortuna in December. The 46-year-old is “clearly the best solution for us in the current situation.” With just one point separating them from a direct relegation spot after four consecutive losses, Ende stated, “It won’t work in the coming weeks without scratching, fighting, and gritting. Igniting the spark is our mission,” said Ende, who was only released by rival Preußen Münster in mid-March.
Source: ntv.de
