The Black Goat's Name is Erik ten Hag

Erik ten Hag has yet to accept the reasons for his dismissal. He refuses to be made a scapegoat for Bayer Leverkusen's decline. The Dutch coach holds the record for the shortest tenure of any coach in the history of the German League.

Ten Hag has been in charge since May 2025, replacing Xabi Alonso who moved to Real Madrid. In fact, Ten Hag's contract with Leverkusen is still long, lasting until 2027.

Bayern Leverkusen sacked Ten Hag on Monday (September 1, 2025) after his team had two disappointing Bundesliga matches. Leverkusen were humiliated by Hoffenheim, 2-1, in their opening Bundesliga match at their home ground, the BayArena Stadium. In their second match, Leverkusen were held to a 3-3 draw by Werder Bremen. Ironically, the team nicknamed Die Schwarzroten(the red and blacks) was already two goals up, and Werder even had one player sent off.

The 55-year-old coach felt hurt because the club made a statement that retaining him was a greater mistake. After being dismissed by Manchester United, Ten Hag faced a challenging task in managing Leverkusen. Under Xabi's era, Leverkusen experienced a golden period as the champions of the German League 2023-2024.

Ten Hag is facing an unfavorable situation as many key players have left Leverkusen. They sold eight core team players this summer, including Florian Wirtz, Granit Xhaka, Jonathan Tah, Jeremie Frimpong, Odilon Kossounou, Amine Adli, Lukas Hradecky, and Piero Hincapie.

The clubs that have put their faith in me have been rewarded with success and titles.

The 55-year-old coach criticized Leverkusen's decision. He stated that firing a coach after just two matches has never happened before. This decision was an extraordinary surprise for him.

"A new coach is entitled to the freedom to implement his vision, set standards, build a team, and impart his personal touch to the playing style," said Ten Hag.

"Clubs that have placed their trust in me have been rewarded with success and titles," said Ten Hag. This is based on his record of achievements while managing Ajax Amsterdam and Manchester United.

Unfortunately, the management of Leverkusen has run out of patience. They are reluctant to give Ten Hag the time and trust that a coach desperately needs. Ten Hag emphasized that more time is required to build a team.

"I started this job with confidence and full energy, but unfortunately, the management was not willing to give me the time and trust that I needed, which I deeply regret. I feel that this relationship was never based on mutual trust," he stated.

Signs of a rift between Ten Hag and the club's management had been present for some time. According to the BBC, Ten Hag abruptly rescheduled a friendly against Brazilian team Flamengo U-20. The match took place four days earlier than originally scheduled. The result? Leverkusen lost 5-1.

Ten Hag was involved in a debate regarding Xhaka's departure. According to him, Xhaka should have been retained by Leverkusen as they have lost many key players. The club, on the other hand, argued that Xhaka could leave if a suitable offer was made. Ultimately, Xhaka transferred to Sunderland.

German media, Bild, reported on Monday (1/9/2025) that the coach had lost internal trust in a very short time and there was no personal relationship between the coach and the players.

The tabloid reported that Ten Hag was not involved in the negotiations to recruit former Real Madrid defender, Lucas Vazquez, who joined Leverkusen on Tuesday (2/9/2025).

Ten Hag has been tasked with recruiting more than a dozen new players ahead of this season, including several young players. Four out of the five players are the most expensive in the club's history, namely Malik Tillman, Jarell Quansah, Eliesse Ben Seghir, and Ezequiel Fernandez. They arrived this summer, with a total transfer value of 132 million euros (Rp 2.5 trillion) plus bonuses.

Ten Hag has also proven unable to "control" the players' dressing room. His ability to communicate with the players is poor. He has not been able to inspire the players to perform at their best. Moreover, Ten Hag has also criticized the players' fitness levels, despite having trained together during the preseason.

Leverkusen captain, Robert Andrich, after the match against Werder, expressed his concerns regarding the commitment and cooperation of his teammates. On the other hand, Ten Hag was frustrated with the unacceptable dispute over who would take the penalty in the match. According to Ten Hag, the players were unwilling to follow his instructions and considered them open to debate.

Leverkusen's sporting director, Simon Rolfes, revealed that the decision to sack Ten Hag was not an easy one for them.

"No one wants to take this step. However, the past few weeks have shown that building a successful new team with this formation cannot be achieved effectively," he explained.

Rolfes stated that under Ten Hag, the team lacked clarity and direction. This decision was made regardless of the results in the early matches of Leverkusen. He admitted to having made a mistake in recruiting Ten Hag.

The CEO of Leverkusen, Fernando Carro, stated that the separation at the beginning of the season indeed feels painful. However, this separation needs to be viewed from the perspective of the club.

Leverkusen has not appointed a replacement for Ten Hag. His coaching duties will be taken over by his assistant coaching staff on an interim basis.

Last August, Ten Hag had already warned that he is not a wizard like Harry Potter. He explained that it takes time to make Leverkusen perform as a great team again.

"You cannot force the process. That is impossible. There is nothing like Harry Potter," he said. Ten Hag is clearly not a wizard, but he feels he has been made a scapegoat. (AP/AFP/REUTERS)