{{short description|Austrian football manager (born 1977)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Christian Ilzer | image = FC Red Bull Salzburg gegen SK Sturm Graz (2024-04-28) 01.jpg | caption = Ilzer in 2024 as Sturm Graz manager | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1977|10|21|df=y}} | birth_place = Puch bei Weiz, Austria | height = 1.84m<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.weltfussball.de/spieler_profil/christian-ilzer/ |title=Christian Ilzer |publisher=weltfussball.de |language=de }}</ref> | position = Midfielder | currentclub = TSG Hoffenheim (manager) | youthyears1 = 1986–1998 | youthclubs1 = USK Raiffeisen Puch | youthyears2 = 1998–1999 | youthclubs2 = SV Ada Anger | youthyears3 = 2001–2004 | youthclubs3 = USK Raiffeisen Puch | youthyears4 = 2004–2006 | youthclubs4 = SC Weiz | years1 = 2006–2007 | clubs1 = USK Raiffeisen Puch | manageryears1 = 2006–2007 | managerclubs1 = USK Raiffeisen Puch (player-manager) | manageryears2 = 2012–2013 | managerclubs2 = SC Weiz | manageryears3 = 2014 | managerclubs3 = Wiener Neustadt (caretaker) | manageryears4 = 2015 | managerclubs4 = TSV Hartberg | manageryears5 = 2017–2018 | managerclubs5 = TSV Hartberg | manageryears6 = 2018–2019 | managerclubs6 = Wolfsberger AC | manageryears7 = 2019–2020 | managerclubs7 = Austria Wien | manageryears8 = 2020–2024 | managerclubs8 = Sturm Graz | manageryears9 = 2024– | managerclubs9 = TSG Hoffenheim }} '''Christian Ilzer''' (born 21 October 1977) is an Austrian professional football coach who is the manager of Bundesliga club TSG Hoffenheim.
==Coaching career== ===Early career=== As a teenager, three cruciate ligament injuries stopped his career and at the age of only 17, where became coach of USK Raiffeisen Puch's U17 squad. In addition to his job as an electronics technician, he started a second education as a trainer. From 2006 to 2007, he was in charge of the first team of USK Raiffeisen Puch as a playing manager.<ref name=ft>[http://www.fk-austria.at/de/n/news/2019/05/christian-ilzer-im-portraet/ Christian Ilzer im Porträt] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622202224/http://www.fk-austria.at/de/n/news/2019/05/christian-ilzer-im-portraet/ |date=22 June 2019 }}, fk-austria.at, 28 May 2019</ref> From July 2007 to July 2011, he was assistant manager under manager Bruno Friesenbichler at TSV Hartberg.<ref name=ft/>
In September 2011, he worked with the Austrian U19 national team as a fitness coach, while he in the 2012–13 season also was the manager of SC Weiz.<ref name=ft/> From the summer 2013, once again he became assistant manager under manager Bruno Friesenbichler at TSV Hartberg.<ref name=ft/> After one season at TSV Hartberg, he joined Wiener Neustadt as assistant manager. On 12 November 2014, Heimo Pfeifenberger was fired at Neustadt and Ilzer took over as caretaker manager. Ilzer was in charge for one game which he won 2–0 against Wolfsberger AC, before Helgi Kolviðsson was appointed as manager on 23 November 2014. Ilzer continued his role as assistant manager at the club, before he left at the end of the season and then became manager of TSV Hartberg.<ref name=ft/> He left his position already on 25 November 2015, to become an assistant manager at Wolfsberger under Heimo Pfeifenberger.<ref name=ft/>
===TSV Hartberg=== In May 2017, Ilzer returned to TSV Hartberg as head coach.<ref>{{cite web |last=Gutmann |first=Ulrich |url=https://www.meinbezirk.at/weiz/c-sport/christian-ilzer-kehrt-als-cheftrainer-zum-tsv-hartberg-zurueck_a2138787 |title=Christian Ilzer kehrt als Cheftrainer zum TSV Hartberg zurück |publisher=MeinBezirk.at |language=de |date=29 May 2017 }}</ref> In the 2017–18 season, he guided the club to finish second in the second division, securing promotion to the Austrian Bundesliga for the first time in their history.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tsv-hartberg-fussball.at/home/newsarchiv/1183-tsv-hartbergt-2018-lizenzentscheidung-schiedsgericht |title=WIR SIND BUNDESLIGA !!! |website=tsv-hartberg-fussball.at |language=de |date=29 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702204850/http://www.tsv-hartberg-fussball.at/home/newsarchiv/1183-tsv-hartbergt-2018-lizenzentscheidung-schiedsgericht |archive-date=2 July 2018 }}</ref>
===Wolfsberger=== In May 2018, it was announced that Ilzer would rejoin Wolfsberger as head coach for the 2018–19 season.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rzpelletswac.at/aktuelles/item/christian-ilzer-wird-neuer-cheftrainer-der-woelfe |title=Christian Ilzer wird neuer Cheftrainer der Wölfe |publisher=Wolfsberger AC |language=de |date=6 May 2018 |access-date=13 May 2024 |archive-date=7 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180507003444/http://rzpelletswac.at/aktuelles/item/christian-ilzer-wird-neuer-cheftrainer-der-woelfe |url-status=dead }}</ref> He led the club to qualify to the Europa League group stage for first time in their history, after finishing third in the Austrian Bundesliga.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spox.com/at/sport/fussball/oesterreich/1905/Artikel/nach-historischem-erfolg-wac-sucht-coach-und-stadion.html|title=Nach historischem Erfolg: WAC sucht Coach und Stadion|work=SPOX|language=German|date=27 May 2019}}</ref>
===Austria Wien=== On 29 May 2019, Ilzer was appointed manager of Austria Wien for the 2019–20 season.<ref>[http://www.fk-austria.at/en/redaktionsbaum/news/2019/christian-ilzer-becomes-the-new-head-coach-of-austria-wien/ Christian Ilzer becomes the new head coach of Austria Wien] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622202225/http://www.fk-austria.at/en/redaktionsbaum/news/2019/christian-ilzer-becomes-the-new-head-coach-of-austria-wien/ |date=22 June 2019 }}, fk-austria.at, 29 May 2019</ref> After a seventh-place finish in the league, his team lost the Europa League play-offs 3–2 on aggregate against his former club TSV Hartberg.<ref>{{cite web |last=Marten |first=Jan |url=https://www.sport1.de/news/internationaler-fussball/2020/07/tsv-hartberg-aus-der-regionalliga-bis-in-die-europa-league-in-drei-jahren |title=Das Hartberger Fußballmärchen |publisher=Sport1 |language=de |date=1 August 2020 }}</ref>
===Sturm Graz=== On 17 July 2020, he was hired as manager of Sturm Graz.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Sturm Graz|url=https://www.sksturm.at/de/news/kampfmannschaft/2020/christian-ilzer-neuer-cheftrainer/|title=Christian Ilzer neuer Cheftrainer|date=17 July 2020|language=German|access-date=27 October 2020|archive-date=10 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510103536/https://www.sksturm.at/de/news/kampfmannschaft/2020/christian-ilzer-neuer-cheftrainer/|url-status=dead}}</ref> He guided the club to a runner-up finish in both 2021–22 and 2022–23, where he achieved the VdF-Fußballerwahl Coach of the Season award for the latter.<ref name="auto1">{{cite web |url=https://sport.orf.at/stories/3117436/ |title=Sturm beendet Salzburgs Bruno-Dominanz |publisher=sport.orf.at |language=de |date=9 October 2023 }}</ref> He won his first title at the club by clinching the 2022–23 Austrian Cup after a 2–0 win against Rapid Wien in the final.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.laola1.at/de/red/fussball/oefb-cup/news/sturm--so-wollte-manprit-sarkaria-nicht-in-erinnerung-bleiben/ |title=So wollte Sarkaria nicht in Erinnerung bleiben |publisher=laola1.at |language=de |date=1 May 2023 }}</ref>
In the 2023–24 season, he led the club to their fourth league title in history after a 2–0 win over Austria Klagenfurt on the final matchday, ending Red Bull Salzburg's decade-long dominance, in addition to securing a UEFA Champions League group stage berth for the first time since 2000–01.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kicker.de/sturm-graz-gegen-klagenfurt-2024-bundesliga-oesterreich-meistergruppe-4912947/analyse |title=Salzburg entthront: Sturm zum vierten Mal Meister! |publisher=Kicker |language=de |date=19 May 2024 }}</ref> Furthermore, he succeeded in steering the club to their first domestic double since the 1998–99 season, having achieved the 2023–24 Austrian Cup following a 2–1 victory over Rapid Wien in the final.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.oefb.at/cup/Spiel/Spielbericht/3572416/?SK-Puntigamer-Sturm-Graz-vs-SK-Rapid |title=SK Puntigamer Sturm Graz 2–1 SK Rapid |publisher=Austrian Football Association |language=de |date=1 May 2024 }}</ref>
===TSG Hoffenheim=== He was appointed by TSG Hoffenheim in November 2024.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.tsg-hoffenheim.de/en/news/overview/2024/11/christian-ilzer-is-the-new-tsg-hoffenheim-head-coach|title=Christian Ilzer is the new TSG Hoffenheim head coach|publisher=tsg-hoffenheim.de|date=15 November 2024|access-date=15 November 2024}}</ref>
==Managerial statistics== {{updated|match played 16 May 2026}}<ref>{{soccerway coach|christian-ilzer/390393}}</ref> {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" |+ Managerial record by team and tenure |- !rowspan=2|Team !rowspan=2|From !rowspan=2|To !colspan=8|Record |- !{{Tooltip|G|Games managed}} !{{Tooltip|W|Games won}} !{{Tooltip|D|Games drawn}} !{{Tooltip|L|Games lost}} !{{Tooltip|GF|Goals for}} !{{Tooltip|GA|Goals against}} !{{Tooltip|GD|Goal difference}} !{{Tooltip|Win %|Winning percentage}} |- |align="left"|SC Weiz |align="left"| 1 July 2012 |align="left"| 8 June 2013 {{WDL|30|19|3|8|for=60|against=33|diff=yes}} |- |align="left"|Wiener Neustadt (caretaker) |align="left"| 12 November 2014 |align="left"| 23 November 2014 {{WDL|1|1|0|0|for=2|against=0|diff=yes}} |- |align="left"|TSV Hartberg |align="left"| 5 June 2015 |align="left"| 25 November 2015 {{WDL|17|12|2|3|for=40|against=24|diff=yes}} |- |align="left"|TSV Hartberg |align="left"| 1 July 2017 |align="left"| 1 June 2018 {{WDL|40|22|9|9|for=76|against=41|diff=yes}} |- |align="left"|Wolfsberger AC |align="left"| 1 June 2018 |align="left"|29 May 2019 {{WDL|35|14|10|11|for=53|against=51|diff=yes}} |- |align="left"|Austria Wien |align="left"|29 May 2019 |align="left"|17 July 2020 {{WDL|39|14|12|13|for=65|against=60|diff=yes}} |- |align="left"|Sturm Graz |align="left"|17 July 2020 |align="left"|15 November 2024 {{WDL|196|106|41|49|for=348|against=223|diff=yes}} |- |align="left"|TSG Hoffenheim |align="left"| 15 November 2024 |align="left"|''Present'' {{WDL|65|25|17|23|for=110|against=115|diff=yes}} |- !colspan=3|Total {{WDLtot|423|213|94|116|for=754|against=547|diff=yes}} |}
==Honours== '''Sturm Graz''' * Austrian Bundesliga: 2023–24 * Austrian Cup: 2022–23, 2023–24
'''Individual''' * VdF-Fußballerwahl Coach of the Season: 2023<ref name="auto1"/>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Worldfootball.net|christian-ilzer|new_id=pe149082}} * {{ÖFB player|145670}}
{{TSG 1899 Hoffenheim squad}} {{Bundesliga managers}} {{Navboxes | title = Managerial positions | list1 = {{FK Austria Wien managers}} {{SK Sturm Graz managers}} {{TSG 1899 Hoffenheim managers}} }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ilzer, Christian}} Category:1977 births Category:Living people Category:Austrian men's footballers Category:Men's association football midfielders Category:SC Weiz players Category:Austrian football managers Category:Austrian Football Bundesliga managers Category:1. Wiener Neustädter SC managers Category:FK Austria Wien managers Category:SK Sturm Graz managers Category:TSG 1899 Hoffenheim managers Category:Austrian expatriate football managers Category:Expatriate football managers in Germany Category:Austrian expatriate sportspeople in Germany