Erik ten Hag has been sacked by Bayer Leverkusen after just three competitive games at the helm, the club have confirmed.
Ten Hag only joined Leverkusen this summer as a replacement for new Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso, marking his return to management six months following his dismissal as Manchester United manager.
Things got off to a disastrous start, however, as Ten Hag’s Leverkusen fell to a 5–1 defeat to Flamengo’s Under-20 side in his first friendly game.
A mixed pre-season was followed by an underwhelming start to the competitive campaign. Victory over fourth-tier Sonnenhof Großaspach in the DFB-Pokal counted for little when it was followed by a 2–1 defeat to Hoffenheim and a 3–3 draw with Werder Bremen, with Ten Hag’s side throwing away leads in both matches.
In soon emerged that Ten Hag’s position in the dugout was in real peril, with club officials reportedly unconvinced of the Dutchman’s abilities to oversee what has turned into a dramatic rebuild following the departures of Alonso, Florian Wirtz, Jonathan Tah, Jeremie Frimpong and Granit Xhaka, among others. The Bundesliga side ultimately decided to part ways with the Dutchman on Monday.
“Bayer 04 has parted ways with head coach Erik ten Hag with immediate effect,” a short statement read. “The assistant coaching staff will temporarily take over training duties.”
Ten Hag departs after a nightmare final game which saw his players openly argue over penalty duty as they threw away a two-goal lead in the last 15 minutes of the match. According to SPORT BILD, this was just the latest in a “long list of mistakes” which left the Leverkusen board unable to support Ten Hag.
Reflecting on Leverkusen’s latest defeat, club captain Robert Andrich told the media: “Everyone played for themselves, everyone ran around the pitch on their own. We have too many players who are preoccupied with other things or only with themselves. I don’t know if I’ve ever experienced that at Bayer.
“The disastrous final phase [of the draw with Bremen] was a symbol of our current situation. This has nothing to do with any unrest, player transfers or legal proceedings.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Erik ten Hag: Ex-Man Utd Manager Sacked by Bayer Leverkusen After Just Three Games.
