STUTTGART, Germany — Stuttgart coach Armin Veh has resigned only 12 matches into the season, the Bundesliga club said Monday.
Veh stepped down after a 1-0 home loss to Augsburg that left Stuttgart last in the Bundesliga.
"It was a very difficult step for me because the club and the team are in my heart," Veh said in a statement. "But I had to do it because I was convinced that it was the right thing to do."
Veh left Eintracht Frankfurt at the end of last season to return to the club which he guided to the Bundesliga title in 2007.
"The team is better than the place in the standings shows, nine points from 12 matches are simply too few. I am responsible for that," Veh said. "And sometimes I missed a little luck in some close matches."
Stuttgart president Bernd Wahler said Veh informed the club he was leaving immediately after Sunday’s loss.
"He was of the opinion that a change of coach was necessary to return to success. We respect his decision although we still believed in his work even after yesterday’s match," Wahler said.
Stuttgart made no immediate decision on Veh’s successor and said assistants Armin Reutershahn und Reiner Geyer would prepare the team for Friday’s match against Freiburg.