The former Bayer Leverkusen and Liverpool defender reckons that the players must take responsibility for the club’s poor form rather than blaming Robin Dutt.
The former http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Liverpool-c39809 defender was talking amidst intense critism directed at Dutt. Hyypia believes that Robin Dutt alone should not be held responsible for the club’s poor form thus far in the 2011/12 season.
Several former players and football pundits are calling for the manager’s sacking from the BayArena after a dismal first-half of the season. Leverkusen are currently placed sixth in the Bundesliga table with 26 points from 17 matches
played.
Having taken over from Jupp Heynckes before the start of the 2011/12 campaign, Dutt has led the Werkself into the last 16 round of the UEFA Champions League. Leverkusen finished second in their group behind http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786.
However, the former Freiburg tactician is under immense pressure, and the fans have started to lose patience with him.
Hyypia, though, reckons that the manager has done well since taking over from Heynckes, but the players have not responded to his call. The former http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Finland-c2898 international has advised the Werkself officials to stick with their current
manager, as a new tactician at the half way stage might not be favourable option for them.
While talking to Rheinische Post, the 38-year-old further added:
"The coach is always the first person that the finger gets pointed at. But it is the players who should look in the mirror and ask themselves if they could not do a great deal better."
Hyypia spent two years at the BayArena (2009-2011), and made 53 league appearances for the club, netting three goals during the process. The centre back spent ten years in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/England-c749 playing for Liverpool, and managed 318 Premier
League appearances, bagging 22 goals in return.
Bayer Leverkusen finished runners-up in the league last season, and have not won a single trophy since the 1992/93 DFB-Pokal triumph.
The Werkself will face http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/1-FSV-Mainz-05-c38166 at the BayArena when the team returns from winter break on Sunday, January 22.
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