They finished the season in second place (best ever league position in club history) and qualified for the 2008–09 UEFA Cup. He left the club in 2008 and went on to join the reigning Croatian champions and his former club, Dinamo Zagreb, on 5 March 2009. With Dinamo he won his first managerial titles by winning the 2008–09 and 2009–10 Prva HNL and Croatian Cup in 2009.
The team finished second in the league (their best ever position) and qualified for the UEFA Cup in the 2008-09 season. The manager left the club in 2008 and joined Dinamo Zagreb, his former club, on March 5, 2009. He won his first managerial titles with Dinamo by winning the Prva HNL and Croatian Cup in 2009.