bayern munich have sacked Head Coach Carlo Ancelotti after just over a year at the club. A statement on the club’s official website fcbayern.com detailed that the team’s performances since the start of the season under the 58-year-old “have not met (Bayern’s) expectations.”

The dismissal comes after the Bavarian giants lost 3-0 away at Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, although the club still sits second in Group B and are only three points off top spot in the Bundesliga.

Former Bayern right-back and Ancelotti’s former assistant coach Willy Sagnol has been put in charge of team training until further notice and will manage the side in Sunday’s match away at Hertha Berlin, the BBC reported.

Win record papering over the cracks?

Ancelotti leaves the club after winning 42 out of a possible 60 games, a win percentage of 70 percen, as well as picking up the 2017 Bundesliga title and successive DFL-Supercup titles.

While the former Chelsea manager’s track record is nothing short of impressive, it was well known that the relationship between Ancelotti and the club was patchy.

The Bayern committee wanted Ancelotti to emulate the success of previous manager Pep Guardiola, but it was noticeable that the club’s training sessions were less intense since the Manchester City manager left the club. It seemed that the team’s formation and strategy weren't wasn’t as structured.

It has even been argued that the decline of players such as David Alaba and Thomas Muller is due to the difference in coaching style between Ancelotti and Guardiola.

And it appears that the loss to PSG, a game in which Bayern dominated possession, shots and corners yet could not hit the back of the net, highlighted the decline in the Bundesliga champions’ style of play and as a result the chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has decided a change was needed.

Where next for Carlo?

Given Ancelotti’s honours record, it is unlikely that the Italian will be unemployed for too long, with The Daily Telegraph suggesting that a return to the Premier League is the most likely outcome.

However, given AC Milan’s indifferent start to their season despite manager Vincenzo Montella spending over €190 million on new players, it looks like a return to Italy could be on the cards.

Ancelotti remains a legendary figure at the Rossoneri after not only starring for the Italian giants as a player, but also leading them through their most successful period of the 21st Century between 2001 and 2009 in a tenure which featured two Champions League titles.

Meanwhile former Borussia Dortmund manager Thomas Tuchel is available to take over the helm at Bayern, but it is believed that Hoffenheim coach Julian Nagelsmann is their preferred candidate.
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