Back-up striker to Robert Lewandowski Sandro Wagner has expressed his unhappiness with Niko Kovac for his lack of gametime this season.
Since joining Bayern Munich as manager, Niko Kovac has maintained his rotation policy, which means many players do not get the amount of minutes they feel they deserve. There have been several reports of unrest within the Bayern camp, though many players have publicly defended Kovac and his policy.
Sandro Wagner has been one of the few players who has really struggled to get much gametime under Kovac. The German striker was handed only his second start of the season on Tuesday against SV Rodinghausen in the DFB Pokal and scored Bayern’s opener. Speaking after the match (via Goal), Wagner admitted that he has been disappointed with how little he has played this season.
"“Of course, it feels good for me to score. I played my first Bundesliga game more than 10 years ago. I have been quite successful over the last few years. Now we’ve already got to November and it was only my second game where I started. It’s not what I am aiming for.”"
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Wagner re-joined Bayern Munich from Hoffenheim in January to help manage the workload of star man Robert Lewandowski. Wagner has fared well in his second stint at the club, scoring 10 goals in his 24 appearances so far. The former German international got plenty of opportunities under Jupp Heynckes last season.
Robert Lewandowski is one of — if not the — best strikers in the world. The Pole is the focal point of Bayern’s attack and Kovac has banked on him to be his leading man up front. Bayern’s recent run of disappointing results means Lewandowski will be called upon by Kovac more often than not, leaving little opportunity for Wagner to make his mark.
The 30-year-old must remain patient, though. As long as they continue in the Champions League, their schedule will only get more and more crowded. Wagner is likely to get his chances in the Bundesliga when Bayern are involved in more high profile Champions League knockout games.
Though he bemoaned his own lack of playing time, Wagner shrugged off questions about Bayern’s fragile style of play in the past few games. The Bavarians went through a rough patch of form in September, but have responded after the international break with four consecutive wins. Though Bayern haven’t entirely convinced in these matches, the victories will help alleviate pressure off Niko Kovac.
Kovac was critical of his team’s performance against SV Rodinghausen. The Croatian admitted that his team struggles to kill off their competition when they’re dominating a match. Bayern’s shaky defense can’t seem to keep a clean sheet and has also become a headache for Kovac. The Bavarians need a dominating performance over ahead of Der Klassiker next week. Kovac will be aiming to get things right when they host Freiburg on Saturday.