Bayern Munich: Uli Hoeness is skeptical about Niko Kovac’s rotation policy

Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness bemoaned his club’s lack of rhythm after three poor results in the space of a week.

Niko Kovac is facing his first big challenge at Bayern Munich, as the club is on a run of three games without a win in all competitions. The Croatian manager will be hoping to arrest this dip in form when his side face Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday.

There have been numerous reports in Germany criticizing Kovac’s rotation policy after this string of poor performances. Speaking to Sport Bild, Uli Hoeness also admitted that he has some doubts about this approach. The Bayern president, however, also dismissed the talks of a crisis at the club and backed Kovac to get his team back to winning ways.

"“There’s been a lot of rotation, and ever since, there’s something a bit wrong with us, but I don’t think it’s dramatic.“It’s up to the coach. In the end, he’s putting his neck on the line for it. At the moment we have some problems, but that’s normal.”"

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Kovac enjoyed a fantastic start to his managerial career at Bayern Munich. The Croatian came against his former side- Eintracht Frankfurt  in the first competitive game of the season and clinched an emphatic 5-0 win to claim the DFL Supercup. The Bavarians then began their Bundesliga campaign with a 3-1 win over Hoffenheim.

Bayern went on to win their first seven competitive games under Kovac, even opening their account in the DFB Pokal with a narrow 1-0 win over Drochtersen/Assel. Kovac’s men also delivered a very professional performance in their 2-0 win over Benfica in their first Champions League game of the season.

The media hailed Kovac’s approach in these games as he was close to matching the best ever start for a manager at Bayern Munich.

However, things fell apart last week when Bayern dropped their first points against Augsburg in the Bundesliga. Bayern were dominant in that game, but their wastefulness in the final third allowed Augsburg to equalize in the final minutes of the game. The defending champions then suffered a 2-0 defeat against Hertha Berlin in their next game, while Ajax thoroughly dominated them at the Allianz Arena in Champions League. Die Roten were fortunate to pick up a point from that match.

As a consequence of these poor results in the Bundesliga, Bayern dropped to second in the league table.

Kovac has always asserted that he will rotate his starting XI on a consistent basis to give everyone a fair amount of gametime. The players reacted positively in the initial games, but things might change drastically if results continue to deteriorate.

It is quite telling that Hoeness has openly questioned Kovac’s methods. There have been numerous reports this week suggesting that the environment in the dressing room is tense, with several players unhappy with Kovac for his insistence on rotating despite good or bad performances. These reports also suggest that the players are not convinced with the training methods under Kovac. If Bayern fail to win against Monchengladbach, then the criticism and pressure will only increase for the Croatian.