by Oliver Trust

BERLIN, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Erik Ten Hag's dismissal at Bayer Leverkusen this Monday didn't come as a surprise.

A wave of reports detailing major disagreements between the Dutch coach, his team, and the club's leaders over the past few days had somehow set the stage for a split that became a record in the German league's history.

Ahead of Leverkusen's afternoon practice and after only two matches in the 2025-26 season, the 2024 Bundesliga champions and German Cup winners made the earliest coaching change in league history.

While CEO Simon Rolfes called the step painful and far from "what we wanted," media reports indicate that the former Ajax and United coach failed to set up a fruitful connection to his team and the club's leaders.

"The past weeks have demonstrated that restructuring a successful team can't be achieved in this cast," Rolfes said.

With a contract until 2027, the 55-year-old failed to continue his predecessor Xabi Alonso's successful run. The Spanish star coach left for Real Madrid after achieving unprecedented success in two years, leading the team to its first league title.

After a bumpy pre-season preparation, turmoil grew as the previous season's second-placed team lost its league opener to Hoffenheim 2-1, followed by a disappointing 3-3 draw against the bottom side of Bremen.

The sports magazine Kicker wrote about Ten Hag having gambled away his credit line as he started to criticize his newly assembled squad in public.

Despite the club's efforts to rebuild the squad, with the departure of 12 players including Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong (LFC), Granit Xhaka (Sunderland), and Jonathan Tah (Bayern), the Dutch called for new signings in several public statements.

Reports describe Ten Hag as "a big misunderstanding."

The first cracks emerged after the coach refused to try to keep team captain Xhaka. The Swiss international is said to have left when the new Leverkusen coach refused to see him as a team leader or include him in his plans.

The new team captain, German international Robert Andrich, had rung alarm bells after the recent games.

Andrich discussed a missing hierarchy, where "everyone is busy with himself and only plays for himself."

Inevitable team spirit is missing, the midfielder complained, while reports spoke of a problematic relationship between the coaching team and the players.

After Leverkusen failed to sign their primary target, the Como coach and former Arsenal, Chelsea, and Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas, the side turned to Ten Hag.

Unlike former coach Alonso, who kept close ties with his players, Ten Hag's distant style wasn't well received during his two months in charge.

The club is expected to find a new head coach before the next league game against Frankfurt on September 12. ■