Juan Carlos Garrido admits he was surprised by his dismissal at Villarreal.
The 42-year-old was sacked followed his team's Copa del Rey exit at the hands of third-tier Mirandes.
Garrido said on the club's official website: "Whenever you have a very good year, the next year is very demanding.
"I take my responsibility as leader of the group. It has not come as a surprise that this is over - it's something you could see coming with how things were.
"I accept my dismissal as the coach is always the main culprit. From the beginning, this has been a difficult year and throughout the year setbacks such as injuries and other things have cost us.""Therefore, this season has been very complicated, although it is clear that we have failed.