Niko Kovac: In the crosshairs, the Bavarian expectations

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The championship has bagged Niko Kovac of FC Bayern. But this does not necessarily mean that the club as the coach also continues to be familiar to and with him the break. But why actually not?

Niko Kovac has managed. The 47-Year-old German champion with FC Bayern München – and only the Second to Franz Beckenbauer, have succeeded both as a player and as a coach. The champion goes for the seventh Time in a row, once again in the Bavarian capital. The coach Kovac has complied with the minimum requirement of his employer. Not more but also not less?

It is worth to take a look back on a season that Kovac has a great deal of trouble through the wash. “Anything less than success is a failure – I knew that. These ten months have been very instructive, very intense,” said Kovac recently. As complicated as it was, ultimately, then, should have Kovac his involvement in Munich, but probably not presented.

As the young Coach took over at Bayern last summer, he was not the first choice of the club to the top. Bayern President Uli Hoeness would prefer to keep the final pension prepare Jupp Heynckes. As Hoeness realized too late that his friend would again soften, were other candidates, such as, for example, Thomas Tuchel is no longer on the market. You are familiar Kovac to accompany the team through a season of Transition.

A Team is about the Zenith

Kovac took this (Job) opportunity, knowing that he had a fundamentally different conditions, as so many of his predecessors. Kovac had a season that all of the Participants demanded so much that the nerves were strained to the Utmost. Because the club asked him to a team that was above all else: unusual old.

In the Champions League group game against Ajax Amsterdam, for example, the Bayern Team had an average age of 30 years, six years more than the opponent. The current team has exceeded its power Zenith, the would not ride a horse club President Uli Hoeness and Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge best.

Difficult balancing act: coach Niko Kovac (l) and Franck Ribery

Kovac had to keep on the one hand, the self-conscious veteran stars Arjen Robben and Franck Ribéry in a good mood. On the other, and at the same time he had to integrate their planned successor to Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry in the Team that they could already play a crucial role. This difficult break also called for further conflicts, such as the fact that James Rodriguez got less playing time, also because new arrival Leon Goretzka insisted on an answer.

The form of crises by Thomas Müller, Jérôme Boateng and Mats Hummels, who were relegated from national coach Joachim Löw in the national team, brought additional unrest.

Conflicts are programmed

All of these changes and situations of conflict resulted in internal tensions, also because Bayern have traditionally relied on professionals, whose Egos are particularly pronounced. “If it was sometimes a bit quiet, it wouldn’t be so bad,” said Kovac telling.

In addition, Kovac met with a rather defensive way of Thinking and style of play preferred, and with its frequent Rotation, there is little love for many players. It holperte and lurched even in the Bundesliga, Nine points behind had the in Munich, in the meantime, on Borussia Dortmund, what was the success-drenched Bavaria, the nervousness rise significantly.

“There is no Job guarantee at Bayern Munich, not for anyone. That is a good thing. Each needs to deliver at Bayern Munich – that is the principle Bayern Munich. With this print you must be able to handle it, and those who can’t, is out of place here,” said Rummenigge also uncompromising in the direction of Kovac. Also sports Director Hasan Salihamidzic avoided during an appearance in “the Current Sportstudio” of ZDf, a clear commitment to Kovac. Shortly before the season finale, a report appeared on the website “spox.com” that claimed, Kovac will also be replaced as a Double-winner and Mark van Bommel replaced.

Counsel for Kovac of Beckenbauer

Just a castle of peace? Club boss Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (l.) and coach Niko Kovac

Club boss Rummenigge is in contrast to supporters of Hoeness as one of the biggest critics of the Coach. Rummenigge wants, above all, a playful development of the team. Because one thing is hardly to be denied: The elimination from the Champions League in the first knockout round against Liverpool FC and the game of competitors from Spain and England, of their dynamics, game view, and a passion for the Bavarians are currently miles away, the alarm bells, particularly in the case Rummenigge shrill.

Nevertheless, Kovac has set the critics decisive: The fall of crisis, he ended with a change in Rotation and tactics. With 42 points from 17 back-round games have the Bayern one of the best half of the series of their history on the table.

“It’s not easy to train the team. It is a pampered force,” said FCB honorary President Franz Beckenbauer recently and jumped on the Coach explicitly to the page. He wishes Kovac the Double Triumph, “to show where the long nose, who have not believed in him.” Not a few observers are as Beckenbauer is of the opinion that Kovac took his rest and rhetorical sovereignty is the near-Optimal from this season.

Trust asked

The General opinion to Kovac, who still has a contract until 2021, is ambivalent in Munich. The championship alone is likely to keep the critics hardly fall silent, normal, winning the title in FCB’s become in the past few years. The Cup and League Double, however, would lead at least to a collective calming of the heated discussions. The Cup final will be played next Saturday (kick-off 20 CEST, 19:45 the DW-Audio-the Livestream), opponents of Munich in Berlin’s Olympic stadium will be RB Leipzig.

Bayern have already invested approximately 118 million euros in the future: the defenders Lucas Hernandez (80 million euros ) and Benjamin Pavard (35 million Euro), as well as attacker Jann-Fiete Arp (3 million Euro) will come. Thus, the personnel upheaval is not expected to be completed at Bayern but still. The big question will be whether the club trust responsible Kovac that he can develop the Team and the Bayern team of the future can build. Kovac is in the crosshairs of the high Bavarian expectations.

Kovac has information

Because of the top-level international football is at the moment focused mainly on Tempo, possession, and passion. That Kovac adaptation and development is capable, in the current season is proof of this. Whether the Bayern officials this prospect is sufficient, they seem to be able to at the moment but not even answer.

The Bayern Fans strengthened Kovac in the second half of the last season game with prolonged chants of demonstratively the back. And the Trainer itself after the obligatory beer shower that follows inevitably in the championship, a new talking point: “I’m convinced that information and am confident that it will go on. There are no second-Hand information, but from first-Hand,” said Kovac, in an Interview with “Sky” and grinned. The Reporter asked: “you Mean that, Uli Hoeness and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge have said to you that you coach Bayern?” Kovac grinned even wider and replied: “The way it is.”