"There will be consequences. What we saw was not Bayern."
After a sluggish start to the season, it was a 3-0 💲 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday that broke the camel's back for Ancelotti at Bayern Munich. After warning of "consequences" 💲 in Paris, Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was, less than 24 hours later, explaining why the club had "parted ways" with 💲 Ancelotti. "Our team's performances since the start of the season have not met our expectations...we had to take immediate action."
It 💲 is the first time Ancelotti has been sacked during a season, yet the warning signs had been there. Arjen Robben, 💲 who started on the bench in Paris, refused to say whether the players were behind Ancelotti, but gave away much 💲 more by simply saying: "I won't answer this question." German newspaper Bild called it "Ancelotti's darkest night" while former Bayern 💲 captain Lothar Matthaus said "the team has no rhythm and no harmony".
Ancelotti leaves Bayern after nearly 15 months in charge, 💲 with one Bundesliga title - won by a 15-point margin - and two German Super Cups. But why has his 💲 time come to an end so quickly after the start of the 2024/18 season?
There were hints in pre-season that all 💲 was not well. While it can be misleading to read too much into friendly results, it was the performances that 💲 caused most concern. As they were beaten by AC Milan and Inter Milan in Asia and then Napoli and Liverpool 💲 in their own stadium in the Audi Cup, Bayern looked ponderous, and at times as if they were without a 💲 game plan.