Niko Kovac freed from tremendous pressure after leaving Bayern Munich
Uli Hoeness confirms that the decision regarding Niko Kovac’s future at Bayern Munich was mutually taken instead of straight dismissal of the manager.
After a poor performance against Eintracht Frankfurt, Niko Kovac left Bayern Munich on Sunday. The Croatian manager was under immense scrutiny in the past few weeks due to the team’s poor performances.
Kovac was reportedly given two games to save his future at Bayern. The result and performance against Olympiakos and Borussia Dortmund this week was set to be taken consideration before deciding on his future at the club.
However, after a meeting with the club chiefs on Sunday evening, Kovac reportedly offered to step down as Bayern manager. The Croatian lasted as Bayern Munich for 18 months after taking a huge leap from Eintracht Frankfurt in 2018.
Uli Hoeness addressed media on Monday to give his thoughts on Kovac’s departure. The club president confirmed (via Fox Sports) that there is no bad blood between Kovac and Bayern. He also confirmed that the club is looking to hire a new manager before their game against Dusseldorf after the international break.
"“We always had a good relation to Niko Kovac. We came to a mutual agreement. There is no dirty laundry to wash. I’ve had a phone call with him today, everything is fine. I got the feeling that he is now free from a huge pressure.”“I can’t say what will happen the next weeks either. It’s not so important now, as we got three weeks now to consider how to deal with it. I think we did well.”"
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Kovac enjoyed a successful debut season with Bayern. The Croatian guided Die Roten to Bundesliga title, DFB Pokal and DFL Supercup in his first season. However, his future was always a talking point throughout the season as performances were often unconvincing.
The 2019/20 campaign started on a sour note as Bayern lost against Borussia Dortmund in DFL Supercup. Die Roten had a shaky start to their Bundesliga title defense as they dropped points against Hertha Berlin in the first game. Results gradually improved in the league, but performances in October were below par, which eventually paved the way for Kovac’s departure.
Hansi Flick is set to be in the dugout for this week’s games against Olympiakos and Borussia Dortmund. Die Roten announced on Monday that Hermann Gerland would act as Flick’s assistant coach during these two games. The club is reportedly looking at Ajax manager Erik Ten Hag for the managerial post, but continue to consider long-term as well as short-term options for this role.
Next. Top four moments of Niko Kovac at Bayern Munich. dark
In his Sky Sports column, Lothar Matthaus insisted that Massimilano Allegri should be Bayern’s top managerial target. However, Bayern will be wary about hiring a non-German speaking manager after the tough time Carlo Ancelotti endured two years ago.