Niko Kovac has left Bayern Munich after the Bundesliga champions were defeated 5-1 at Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.
Kovac, 48, took over at Bayern ahead of the 2018-19 season and led them to a domestic double in his debut campaign in charge.
In Europe, though, he had less success. The German giants were knocked out of the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League by Liverpool at the last-16 stage.
Saturday's crushing defeat against Kovac's former club left Bayern sitting fourth in the Bundesliga after 10 games of the new season, four points back from leaders Borussia Monchengladbach
The Frankfurt defeat was clearly the final straw for the Bayern hierarchy.
Despite winning silverware at the Allianz Arena, Kovac never seemed like an ideal fit at the club
Kovač offered his resignation after meeting with Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Uli Hoeness, and Hasan Salihamidzic in the afternoon. In the official Bayern press release, Kovač said,
“I think this is the correct decision for the club at this time. The results and the way we’ve played lately have led me to this decision. My brother Robert and I would like to thank FC Bayern for these past 18 months. During that time our team won the Bundesliga, the DFB Cup and the Supercup. It was a good time. I wish the club and the team all the very best”.
Assistant coach Hans Flick will take charge of Bayern's Champions League clash with Olympiakos on Wednesday and for next Saturday's key clash with Borussia Dortmund.
"It's not a huge surprise what happened," Bayern captain Manuel Neuer said of the defeat in Frankfurt. "It's just not happening. Something has to change."
While Robert Lewandowski proved a reliable goal-scorer, the rest of the team lacked balance and Kovac's problems were made worse by serious injuries to defenders Niklas Sule and Lucas Hernandez. Jerome Boateng will be suspended for the game versus Dortmund following his early red card in Frankfurt.
Bayern have already conceded more goals in the league, 16, than Union Berlin. It's the side's worst defensive record since Jurgen Klinsmann was coach in 2008.
