Wolfsburg sack coach Simonis after 10 league matches

BERLIN :VfL Wolfsburg have sacked coach Paul Simonis following the side's 2-1 defeat at Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga on Friday, the club said on Sunday.

Simonis, nicknamed 'Gouda Guardiola' for his faint resemblance to Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola, took over in June at Wolfsburg after leading Dutch side Go Ahead Eagles to their first ever Dutch KNVB Cup victory in April.

"The 40-year-old was released on Sunday evening," Wolfsburg said in a statement. Under-19 coach Daniel Bauer will replace him until further notice, the club said.

Wolfsburg have struggled this season and have lost six of their 10 league games so far to sit in 14th place on eight points, one above the relegation playoff spot.

"In football it is all about results and points at the end of the day, and the development in the past few weeks did not go as we had wished," said Wolfsburg sports director Peter Christiansen.