Joshua Kimmich defends Bayern Munich coach Niko Kovac
Joshua Kimmich has jumped to the defense of Niko Kovac, who has been heavily criticized for his playing style throughout this season.
It has been a roller-coaster ride for Bayern Munich this season. The defending Bundesliga champions have been inconsistent in the league, which has led to an exciting title race with Borussia Dortmund. Niko Kovac has been subject to some heavy criticism throughout his first season at the club and his future still remains uncertain.
Bayern’s playing style under Kovac has been a major talking point in Germany this season, but the criticism reached another level after their timid defeat against Liverpool in the Champions League round of 16.
Speaking to Welt am Sonntag, Kimmich defended his manager’s methods this season. The German defender believes that the players need to take responsibility for their own errors that have plagued Bayern all season.
"“At the start of the season it was said he was the perfect coach. We won our games very comfortably. Then, we were often too sloppy. There were many individual mistakes, for which the coach cannot do anything.“Unfortunately, we conceded a lot of goals this season. Bayern also stands for a football that is surprising and dynamic in the final third, which is characterized by surprise moments and special passes. That too we have rarely been able to show.”"
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Kovac made a fine start to his managerial career at Bayern, but the team failed to maintain their form throughout the first half of the season. The Croatian eventually got it right with his team selection in December, and Bayern have dropped points only twice in the league since then. The fate of the title is now back in their hands after their smashing 5-0 win over Borussia Dortmund last weekend. It was the best performance Bayern has given since Kovac became manager.
The performances in the cup competitions have been hit and miss under Kovac as well. Die Roten have scrapped for wins in order to reach the semifinals of the DFB Pokal. In the Champions League, Bayern managed to win their group, but their performance against Liverpool at the Allianz Arena was very flat. The Croatian got his tactics right in the first leg at Anfield but couldn’t outwit Jurgen Klopp at home.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge’s recent comments about Kovac were pretty alarming considering it came after the win over Dortmund. The club chief insisted that no one has job security at Bayern if the standards are not met on a regular basis. Uli Hoeness, on the other hand, has kept on backing Kovac throughout the season. It looks likely that Kovac will have to win the domestic double to stay at Bayern next season. The Croatian recently slammed his critics, though, and remains confident he’ll be successful in Bavaria.
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The quotes from Kimmich are promising as there have been numerous suggestions that the dressing room is unhappy with Kovac. ESPN’s Raphael Honigstein recently reported that the Bayern players do not like the tactical preparations under Kovac, which are reportedly similar to the ones used by Carlo Ancelotti. It would be a rash decision from the club to sack Kovac at the end of this season, as he deserves at least proper transfer window and season to show the style of football he wants to implement.