After sacking Carlo Ancelotti less than two months into the 2017/18 season, Bayern could be about to axe another manager, with Niko Kovac said to be “fighting for his job” after a 3-0 home defeat to Borussia Monchengladbach. The loss extended Bayern’s winless run to four matches and came just days after president Uli Hoeness said Kovac was putting “his neck on the line” with his rotation policy.
The defeat also comes just weeks after Bayern looked set to equal a club record by winning their first nine games of the season – a record set by the 2012/13 treble-winning side of legendary manager Jupp Heynckes, who came to the rescue to replace Ancelotti last season. So, what’s gone wrong?
For starters: Kovac was not Bayern’s top target when they looked for a manager to take over from Heynckes at the end of last season.
Hoeness said the club tried for a “very, very long time” to persuade Heynckes, now 73 years old, to stay on, before turning to Thomas Tuchel, who instead opted for Paris Saint-Germain. Kovac all of a sudden became their “preferred candidate”.
Kovac spent two seasons as a player at Bayern from 2001-2003, but as a manager his CV lacks the silverware that Heynckes, Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola have won. His biggest achievement was winning the German Cup last season with Eintracht Frankfurt – the club’s first trophy success in 30 years – beating future employers Bayern 3-1 in the final.
However, the mood has shifted in recent weeks. One of the apparent issues is the regular rotation, with Kovac yet to name the same team for consecutive league matches. In the last five matches there have been five different line-ups and there have also been tweaks with the formations.