Bayern Munich coach Niko Kovac may have already lost his players’ trust

According to ESPN’s Raphael Honigstein, Bayern Munich manager Niko Kovac has already lost the trust of many of his players.

It’s been a long month for Bayern Munich and, specifically, new coach Niko Kovac. After starting the season in stellar fashion, winning their opening seven consecutive matches, Bayern’s form took a turn for the worse.

After succumbing to a disappointing 1-1 draw with Augsburg, many thought that result could be pinned on the simple failure to convert chances. However, that result was followed by a 2-0 defeat to Hertha Berlin, which was followed by another 1-1 draw — this time to an Ajax side that thoroughly outplayed the Bavarians.

Bayern’s misery was capped off when Borussia Monchengladbach downed them 3-0 at home just before the international break. Four important games, four overwhelmingly disappointing displays.

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This poor form has caused the discussions of a “crisis” in Munich to already have begun. Some blame the board, some the manager and some the players. In truth, all three are probably somewhat to blame for Bayern’s poor form. Yes, even new manager Niko Kovac.

According to ESPN’s Raphael Honigstein, there are many players at the club who are already disenchanted with the Croatian. Both veterans and young players alike feel Kovac should be doing a better job.

"“After impressing his new charges with a sharp preseason regime and strong attention to defensive details on the pitch, Kovac, as the complaints go, has offered too little by way of creative sparks for the final third, relying on routine automatisms and individual qualities of the squad.”"

Honigstein suggests that Kovac hasn’t quite reached Carlo Ancelotti levels of bad at Bayern, but he says the Croatian is not far from receiving the same fate as Carletto.

"“More seasoned operators than him would have surely struggled to reconcile the club’s mutually exclusive policies of paving the way for a transition and keeping faith with a family of trusted stalwarts. By gamely trying to do both, Kovac is perilously close to doing neither: ‘Half the dressing room are not entirely sure of him,’ a source said."

Sure, there are arguments to be made that this is not at all Kovac’s fault. After all, he walked into a managerial position and was not only disallowed from buying players to fit his system but was told he had to offload a handful of players.

It seems the board is well aware of that, too, as Uli Hoeness has repeatedly affirmed his support for Kovac.

Nevertheless, that support surely only reaches so far. If Niko Kovac cannot get his team back on track soon after international break, his stay in Munich could be cut disappointingly short.