Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has criticised Carlo Ancelotti's backroom staff, suggesting they contributed to his dismissal.
Ancelotti won the Bundesliga title in his debut season at Bayern after replacing Pep Guardiola in 2016 but saw his side knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid at the quarterfinal stage and the DFB Pokal semifinals by Borussia Dortmund.
Following five defeats in preseason as well as a Bundesliga loss at Hoffenheim and an embarrassing 3-0 Champions League defeat at Paris Saint-Germain this season, Bayern dismissed Ancelotti on Sept. 28, replacing him with Jupp Heynckes as interim boss.
Ancelotti's backroom team at Bayern included his son Davide, who became one of his assistants when Paul Clement left to become manager at Swansea. Giovanni Mauri and his son Francesco were fitness coaches, while Ancelotti's stepson, Mino Fulco, worked as a nutritionist.
Ancelotti's staff were often derided in the German media. Despite being a well-respected fitness coach, Mauri Sr. was heavily criticised for his smoking habit, while a month before his sacking, Ancelotti himself was banned from smoking at the club by new sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic.
"It definitely didn't work out with Ancelotti's backup staff. With Carlo everything was fine, but there were arguments of some kind every day between Ancelotti's physios, medical staff and coaches," Hoeness told reporters.
"You cannot work sensibly in such an environment. For example when you are just arguing on who sits where on the bench. These were more important things than the game itself. Long-term, these are all things that are not good for a football team."
Meanwhile, Joshua Kimmich has said he was "extremely angry about the situation" under Ancelotti.
Kimmich, 22, played 39 times in all competitions last season, but featured 19 times as a substitute. He was linked with Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Manchester United and Manchester City after expressing his unhappiness over a lack of playing time.
"It was very difficult for me," he told Bild. "I was extremely angry about the situation. You clearly see you are nothing more than a replacement. There were many times when I was sitting at home disappointed."
Kimmich, who has featured in every Bundesliga and Champions League game this season, added: "I know what I can do. The team can rely on me to be there when they need me."