Two defeats from their opening two J. League games hinted that something was seriously wrong at Urawa Reds. Now the crisis has been made official.
Holger Osieck's dismissal on Sunday afternoon was as surprising as it was brutal. Even Spain and Italy's most impulsive clubs give their managers more than two games of the new season before lowering the axe, and for Reds such drastic action seemed unthinkable.
After delivering the club's first Asian Champions League title last year, Osieck appeared to have bought himself enough goodwill with the Urawa fans to survive December's spectacular meltdown.