Vincenzo Montella has apologised for a string of poor results that led Sevilla to confirm his sacking on Saturday.
Montella took Sevilla to the quarter-finals of the Champions League after masterminding a shock win over Manchester United, only to see his side outclassed by Bayern Munich in the next round, the team's form subsequently collapsing.
Sevilla were thumped 5-0 in the Copa del Rey final by Barcelona and Friday's 2-1 loss at Levante that stretched their winless run to nine matches in all competitions proved the final straw.
Montella's departure is his second sacking of the season after he left AC Milan in November, the outgoing Italian issuing a rallying call to Sevilla, who are six points outside the top six.