After eight games, Bayer Leverkusen is in the early relegation battle. Club managing director Fernando Carro has now publicly increased the pressure on coach Gerardo Seaone.

The 4-0 defeat against FC Bayern on Friday evening was already the fifth defeat for Leverkusen in the first eight games. Just one win and two draws contrasted with this desolate course for the Werkself.

The reality is: 17th place in the table, early relegation battle. The actual claim and that reality are more apart than in any other Bundesliga club. While the Champions League was a clear goal before the season and, due to the top performers being retained, possible titles were even squinted at, everyone involved now has to deal with a completely different situation.

Accordingly, the management level of the association is also in focus these days. Fittingly, Fernando Carro was a guest in the Sport1 double pass on Sunday afternoon. The CEO also commented on upcoming trainer questions.

"In Gerardo Seoane we have a coach who is really, really good and also has skills that we saw last year and that we still see in him," he began with praise. After all, a few weeks ago it was emphasized how great the trust in him was.

"But," Carro continued: "We're not naïve. You can assume we're not unprepared. And that's all I can say."

A statement that had much more significance than the Leverkusen official initially suspected, which was also reflected in the reactions of the other guests.

As much as he expressed his desire to achieve the turnaround with Seoane: With his statements, Carro has increased the pressure on the coach immensely. "We have to score now," he continued. With regard to the next matchday, he added emphatically: "We have to win against Schalke 04."

The fact that Leverkusen are "not unprepared" can only mean one thing: In the background, they are already working on other coaches who could follow after a potential release.

This process is certainly not unusual and much more necessary in this fast-moving business. But the public emphasis on Carro's part - in the TV round as well as on the net - understandably caused astonishment. After all, this doesn't ensure that Seoane continues to feel full trust.

In general, the 58-year-old cut a rather unfortunate figure. When asked about the Leverkusen crisis, he sometimes reacted touched and not exactly confidently. Right at the beginning of the talk, he caused astonishment with his opinion that fouls should be evaluated differently depending on the minute of the game.

This article was originally published on 90min.com/de as the Leverkusen boss increased pressure on Seoane: "We are prepared".