A CHAMPIONS LEAGUE club has axed its manager after just one game in the tournament’s new format.
There have been a mixture of opinions about the new system as the increased number of fixtures has players concerned for their welfare.
Despite concerns, the first two matchdays have served up some thrilling games and lots of goals.
The most goals came in Bayern Munich’s 9-2 drubbing of Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday night.
As a result of the match, Dinamo have parted ways with their manager Sergej Jakirovic.
A club statement read: “GNK Dinamo would like to inform the public that a mutual termination of the contract with the former coach of the Blues, Sergej Jakirović, has been agreed upon.
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“The first team will be led in the short term until a decision on a new long-term coaching solution is made by former member of the professional staff, Sandro Perkovic.
“We thank Sergej Jakirovic from the bottom of our hearts for everything he has given for our club and wish him the best of luck and success in his future career.
“We hereby appeal to the media and the public to be understanding towards Sergej Jakirovic and his family and not to worsen an already stressful situation.”
Dinamo president Velimir Zajec – who had a spell as interim manager of Portsmouth – thanked the coach for his efforts but insisted the club’s interests must come first.
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He said: “First of all, I want to thank Sergej Jakirovic for all the results he achieved.
“We had a pleasant cooperation, he left an impression on me of a quality person and I wish him the best of luck in his future career.
“The most important thing in these situations is to remain human, and to put Dinamo’s interests first.
“It is now up to all of us to make a quality decision about a new coach in this difficult moment for Dinamo and to return to winning ways.”
The heavy defeat to Bayern saw the German club set a number of records.
It is the first time a club in the competition has hit nine goals in a single match.
England captain Harry Kane netted four of the goals in the game, three of which came from the spot.
Kane took his career tally in the Champions League to 33 as he surpassed Wayne Rooney’s record of 30.
He was also the first Englishman to score four times in a single game in the tournament.
One saving grace for Dinamo is that the seven-goal defeat is not the worst in the history of the competition.
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Besiktas and Malmo have both been beaten 8-0 in their games against Liverpool and Real Madrid, respectively.
The Reds dispatched the Turkish outfit by the huge margin in 2007, while Madrid hammered Malmo in 2015.
New Champions League format
Each club will play eight matches in the opening phase – against seeded opposition, in a system designed to ensure that teams play opponents of similar difficulty.
The top eight teams in the “final” table will automatically go through to the last 16, where they will be joined by the eight play-off winners of ties between the sides placed ninth to 24th in the table.
Despite there being just eight matches in the opening phase, European matches will be spread over 10 midweek slots.
The new Champions League format also sees the implication of two additional qualifying spots.
They will be awarded to the nations that are top of the “country coefficient” chart each season.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
