Leverkusen sack Erik ten Hag after only two Bundesliga games

Bayer Leverkusen have sacked Erik ten Hag after only two Bundesliga games in charge of the club.

Although Ten Hag won his first match at the helm – a 4-0 victory over fourth-tier SG in the first round of the German Cup – he oversaw a troubled start to the new league season. Leverkusen lost their opening game, a 2-1 home defeat by Hoffenheim, and then let a two-goal lead slip against 10-man Werder Bremen this weekend.

Disharmony was clear on the pitch at Bremen as Leverkusen players argued over who would take a second-half penalty. Ten Hag described the on-field dispute between Exequiel Palacios and Patrick Schick – who subsequently scored from the spot – as “unacceptable”.

The decision was eventually made by captain Robert Andrich. “I don’t want to sound too negative but we’re between a rock and hard place,” he said after the game, according to The Times. “There are too many people just playing for themselves.”

Ten Hag was given a difficult task following in the footsteps of Xabi Alonso, who led Leverkusen to their first ever league title in 2023-24 before taking over at Real Madrid in June.

Key players Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Granit Xhaka all departed this summer, and German media reported friction between Ten Hag and the club’s hierarchy, which failed to publicly back the manager over recent days.

Leverkusen issued a short statement which read: “Bayer 04 Leverkusen has parted ways with head coach Erik ten Hag with immediate effect. Training will be taken over by the assistant coaching staff for the time being.”

Ten Hag is the third former Manchester United manager to be sacked in recent days, following the departures of Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer from Fenerbahce and Besiktas respectively.