Niko Kovac is no longer the coach of Bayern Munich. The Croatian manager was fired on Sunday, a day after the harsh 5-1 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt, the club’s worst defeat in a decade in the Bundesliga.

In April 2009, Edin Dzeko and Grafite Wolfsburg also beat the Bundesliga Champions 5-1.

Saturday’s defeat was not the only argument for the decision of sacking Kovac. Bayern is in fourth place in the league and has conceded 16 goals after 10 Matchdays, their worst mark since the 2008/09 season. Despite Robert Lewandowski’s outstanding form, as he is scoring at pretty much every game, the team had a hard time winning their games.

In a statement released on the official website, the club’s chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge thanked Kovac and pointed out the problems that resulted in the decision:

– Our team’s performance over the past few weeks and the results showed us that some action was needed. Uli Hoeness (president), Hasan Salihamidzic (sporting director) and I had a conversation with Niko and we reached a consensus agreement. We all regret this event. On behalf of Bayern, I would like to thank Niko Kovac for his work, especially for the titles last season.

Kovac says goodbye to Bayern with three trophies: The Super Cup, the German Bundesliga and German Cup back in 2018/19. He led the team in 65 games with 45 wins, 12 draws and eight defeats.

Auxiliary Hansi Flick will be Bayern’s coach in the next two matches: Wednesday, against Olympiacos, in the UEFA Champions League; and Saturday, against Borussia Dortmund, in the German Bundesliga.

Some names are being speculated, such as Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho, Massimiliano Allegri, and Erik ten Hag. But so far, there is no confirmation as to who will be the new manager.

A bit harsh on Kovac, as there were some good results, such as the historic 7-2 away win over Tottenham, a few weeks ago. Also, the unexpected Bundesliga title last season, as the Bavarian side was really far behind Borussia Dortmund but could overtake their rivals to lift the league.

Kovac also brought Philippe Coutinho in, and Lewandowski had never played like this. Under Kovac, the Polish striker is an absolute beast, as Bayern counts on the best attack in the Bundesliga, and Lewa has scored more than half of the 25 goals Bayern scored so far this season. However, they have the worst defense in the top 10, with 16 goals conceded.

Over the Bayern Munich fans, Mourinho and Wenger are the favorites to take over. If I’d have to bet, I’d go with Wenger.