Niko Kovac speaks up about his time at Bayern Munich for the first time since leaving the club in November.
Bayern Munich has been going through a season full of ups and downs. The first half of the season was disappointing for the German club due to inconsistent performances. However, things have been on the upward trajectory in Ruckrunde for Die Roten.
The poor performances in Hinrunde eventually led to the departure of Niko Kovac. The Croatian manager parted ways with the club after a humiliating 5-1 defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt. Hansi Flick was appointed as the interim manager after his dismissal.
Flick made an instant impact. The club started winning consistently, climbing up the league table in the past three months. After a solid nine-game unbeaten run in the league since December, Bayern is at the top of the table.
Since his departure from Bavaria, Kovac has been linked with numerous clubs, including Arsenal and Everton. Speaking to Servus TV (via Goal), Kovac opened up about his time in Bavaria. He admitted that he had become a much better manager after his experience with the Bundesliga champions.
"“I look back very positively.”“I think after this time I can say that I have become a better coach. I am glad that I got this chance. FC Bayern is ultimately where everyone wants to go. Unfortunately, only a few make it.”"
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Kovac’s debut season was a success. He started his time in Bavaria with a big win against Frankfurt in DFL Supercup. The club went to have a dominant domestic campaign as they completed a domestic double. Kovac became the first person to win a double both as a manager and player with Die Roten.
The lowest point in Kovac’s first season was the hapless performance against Liverpool at Allianz Arena. DRekordmeister were knocked out of the Champions League by the Merseyside club in the round of 16. Liverpool went on to win the competition, but the Bavarians were heavily criticized for their meek performance against them at home.
Kovac did some good work and possibly, needed more patience to enjoy a sustained period of success at the club. He will fondly look back at his time as Bayern manager despite being under scrutiny for most of his time.
Since the club was going through a transition period, he would have done a better job with more time. Once there was a bit of unrest in the dressing room, and results started deteriorating, the manager has to face the consequences. Kovac will definitely bounce back from this setback, and once again, prove that he is a good manager in his next job. The Croatian expects to be back in club management in summer.