Riera has broken his silence on his short spell as Eintracht Frankfurt head coach, comparing the mismatch between himself and the club to a celebrity pairing that never quite worked.
Riera lasted a little over three months in the role, a period that proved disappointing on the pitch and saw him clash with players and staff off it. He was relieved of his duties just days after the season ended.
Speaking to Slovenian broadcaster Sportklub in his first comments since his dismissal, Riera reflected on the mismatch.
"We simply didn't fit together. Look at, for example, the beautiful Angelina Jolie and the charming Brad Pitt. Both are wonderful, but they don't fit together. Why? Because it's not just about appearances. Small details decide whether something works or not," Riera said.
The Spaniard pinpointed his decision to drop Mario Gotze, 34, as the beginning of the end.
"I arrived at the wrong place at the wrong time. That's the reality. I don't know if anyone else would have done it better, we'll never know," the 44-year-old said.
"After five weeks in which we won three times, drew once and lost 3-2 to Bayern, there was a break, after which I dropped an important player from the squad. From that moment, Albert Riera's problem in Germany began."
Riera placed the blame squarely on the club rather than himself.
"At that moment, names mattered more to the club than results, and at the same time I understood that at Eintracht I wouldn't get the player profiles I wanted and would have liked to bring in over the summer. The club's politics are such that the coach has no influence over scouting and squad building. That's not a suitable environment for me, and I knew we couldn't stay together long-term," he said.
Riera also took aim at the playing squad he inherited.
"It's not that Frankfurt have bad players, not at all. But in that team there isn't a single footballer I would take with me to my next project. At Celje there are more players I'd want at my next club than at Eintracht," he said.
Eintracht, meanwhile, are working through the consequences of that turbulent spell in the transfer market. Striker Michy Batshuayi could be heading to Turkish side Corum FK, with Bild reporting on speculation from Turkey, though no formal bid has yet arrived.
Batshuayi is free to leave Frankfurt this summer, potentially even without a transfer fee. The 32-year-old is currently due to earn €3m next season, a sum the club would be glad to take off the wage bill.
Defender Hrvoje Smolcic, 25, is also on the verge of completing his own move to Corum.