Just four months into his tenure, Steve Holland was dismissed as head coach of Yokohama F. Marinos after a disastrous start to the 2025 J1 League campaign left the club mired in the relegation zone.
A highly regarded figure who had previously served as Gareth Southgate’s right-hand man during England’s runs to the Euro 2021 and 2024 finals, Holland was expected to guide Yokohama to a strong domestic showing. Instead, his reign was marred by poor results—just one win, five draws, and five defeats in the opening 11 league matches. The final straw came on April 18th, when Yokohama suffered a 3-2 home defeat to newly-promoted Shimizu S-Pulse.
In the aftermath, the club acted swiftly, parting ways with Holland in a bid to arrest the decline. His assistant, former Melbourne Victory head coach Patrick Kisnorbo, was appointed as interim manager. However, Kisnorbo’s debut was no better, with Yokohama falling 3-1 away to Urawa Red Diamonds on April 20th—a result that left the five-time J1 League champions rooted to the bottom of the table.
Ironically, Holland’s brightest moments came not in domestic competition but in the 2024/25 AFC Champions League Elite. Under his guidance, Yokohama won all four of their matches in the tournament thus far, including back-to-back victories over Shanghai Shenhua and Shanghai Port in the final group-stage fixtures, followed by a knockout-round win over Shanghai Port once again.
Now, with their league form in tatters and continental ambitions still alive, Yokohama face a daunting challenge. On April 26th, they travel to Jeddah to take on Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr in the AFC Champions League quarterfinals. With their top-half aspirations having crumbled into a relegation battle, and a high-stakes clash on the horizon, Yokohama’s decision to part ways with Holland reflects a club desperate to salvage its season—even as early signs under Kisnorbo offer little cause for optimism.