Bayern Munich haven’t been at their best in the final third this season, and Croatian manager Niko Kovac says that needs to change.
A bit of the pressure on Niko Kovac has been released now that Bayern Munich have returned to their winning ways in the past few matches. There was constant speculation about Kovac’s future at the club over the last international break after Bayern had gone on a four game winless streak.
After a narrow victory over Mainz on Saturday, Bayern are set to face SV Rodinghausen on Tuesday in the DFB Pokal round of 16. Speaking in his pre-match press conference (via Goal) on Monday, Kovac addressed the team’s style of play. The Croatian thinks his team have responded well after their period of poor form, but he wants his attacking players to become more ruthless in front of goal.
"“We are back on track, but we also want to win the next games. I saw a lot of good things over the weekend. But, we have to score more goals.“In the previous games, every shot was a goal, it’s not like that anymore. The last three games we have brought a concentrated performance.”"
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Bayern moved up to second in the Bundesliga last weekend. There has been a massive gap in the number of goals scored between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern this season. BVB have been scoring for fun while the Bavarians have ground out results in most of their matches. Der Klassiker next weekend will be a crucial match in terms of its implications on the title race.
Former Dortmund man Robert Lewandowski is the the top scorer for Bayern this season but remains fifth in the Bundesliga. Though the Pole has struggled at times this season, he remains the focal point of Bayern’s attack. He has been back to his usual goal-scoring form since the international break. He also seems to have become more involved in the team’s build-up play in recent matches.
Kovac will be banking on Lewandowski’s form for the upcoming games, as Bayern’s other attacking players have struggled to find the net. Thomas Muller has lately lost his place in the starting lineup, while Serge Gnabry and Franck Ribery are yet to open their account for the season. The former has shown some glimpses of his talent in the past couple of games, while the latter is struggling to get back into the starting lineup.
James Rodriguez and Arjen Robben have scored three goals each in the Bundesliga this season. This is a decent output, but these players can still offer more in the final third. Leon Goretzka has also chipped in with a couple of goals. The team is slowly gaining momentum, so it is likely that a high scoring game is just around the corner for Bayern. Kovac would ideally like that game to arrive before — or during — Der Klassiker.