It’s being reported this afternoon with a certain degree of certitude that Bayern Munich have sacked manager Carlo Ancelotti.
That should raise a few eyebrows in Bavaria.
Anyway, BILD (among many other well-placed sources) have confirmed that Ancelotti has left his post in the wake of Bayern’s abject defeat against PSG in the Champions League on Wednesday night – the club’s heaviest defeat in a group stage fixture for 21 years.
Now it was quite fast! Ancelotti, 58, is no longer a coach of FC Bayern according to SPORT-BILD information.
The 3-0 defeat in the Champions League at Paris St. Germain was too much for those responsible.
UPDATE: Bayern have now made it official with a statement issued to the press…
Presseerklärung: FC Bayern trennt sich von Carlo Ancelotti. https://t.co/hcibg8SzlS pic.twitter.com/D5VXNl22Kv
— FC Bayern München (@FCBayern) September 28, 2017
Ancelotti’s selection for the aforementioned game (Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and Mats Hummels all left of the bench while Jerome Boateng was left out of the matchday squad entirely) caused a ripple of consternation among interested parties, with speculation about the Italian’s faltering job security gathering pace there and then.
While the majority of Bayern’s results have been ostensibly acceptable so far this season, the performances – especially from a defensive perspective – have been subpar, with the PSG debacle, an embarrassing 2-0 defeat against Hoffenheim and the surrendering of a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 against Wolfsburg last Friday proving to be ultimately critical in the board’s decision to can their man.
Former assistant Willy Sagnol will step into the breach for the time being, with the smart money looking to be on Hoffenheim’s upwardly-mobile young buck, Julian Nagelsmann, taking over in a permanent capacity next summer.
It’s not all doom and gloom for Ancelotti, anyway. At least this way he’s freed up nicely in time for Oktoberfest.