COACH UNDER PRESSURE
Kovac rues mistakes as Bayern slump continues
HEAD coach Niko Kovac said individual mistakes are at the heart of Bayern Munich’s slump after they crashed to a 3-0 Bundesliga defeat at home to Borussia Moenchengladbach, leaving them fifth in the table.
After losing 2-0 at Hertha Berlin a week ago and drawing 1-1 at home to Ajax in the Champions League on Wednesday, Bayern are winless in their last four matches in all competitions.
The defending champions were 2-0 down against Gladbach after 16 minutes, leaking early goals to Alassane Plea and club captain Lars Stindl, before Patrick Herrmann added a late third on Saturday.
This is the first time Bayern have lost consecutive league games since May 2015, when they had already won the Bundesliga title under ex-coach Pep Guardiola.
Kovac is under pressure with Bayern now four points behind league leaders Borussia Dortmund and out of the Champions League places, which will displease chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and president Uli Hoeness.
“I had their support after the first seven games (when Bayern were undefeated), so I assume I still have it, but at the end, I am not the one who can answer that,” said Kovac.
“I have said a few words to the team, but that should stay in the dressing room. We are making too many individual mistakes.
“Everyone is trying, but at the moment we are not bringing it together on the pitch.
“You have to act as a unit, but we conceded three goals from their three goals.”
To compound Bayern’s problems, left-back and dead-ball specialist David Alaba limped off in the second half with a leg injury.
“It could be a tear, from what he signalled to me,” said Kovac.
With Juan Bernat having been sold to Paris Saint-Germain and Rafinha out injured, Bayern are down to just one fit wing-back in Joshua Kimmich.
“This is exactly what I feared would happen,” admitted Kovac.
This is Bayern’s worst start to a season for eight years and their worse run of results since September 2017 — when Carlo Ancelotti was sacked after a 3-0 defeat to Paris Saint Germain in the Champions League.
The fixture list could help Bayern after the international break against mid-table Wolfsburg, then Mainz away in their next two league games.
Bayern captain Manuel Neuer, who found himself in the unusual position of conceding three goals, was at a loss to explain the slump.
“We started well, but conceded two goals and ended up chasing the game,” said the Germany goalkeeper.