One defeat was too much for Erik Ten Hag. In Bremen, his team gave a second output on Saturday, but at least reached a tie. So Hag only lost once, 1-2 against Hoffenheim the week before. And he is already fired in Leverkusen. Those who accuse professional football with their coaches is difficult to object to this day.

Nevertheless, it was not: Ten HAG was not the right one for the difficult task of following master coach Xabi Alonso. Alonso, thanks to his world career, enjoyed admiration for everyone on the square and his charism. He was an undisputed authority, a popular one. In contrast, ten Hag called the general in Leverkusen after just a few weeks. This is the same nickname that his late compatriot Rinus Michels once wore, who became European champion with the Netherlands in 1988.