Niko Kovac oversaw Bayern Munich's heaviest league defeat in a decade and the champions are four points off the pace. It's not all his fault but he's under pressure and doing himself no favors, thinks DW's Matt Pearson.
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Image: picture-alliance/dpa/U. Anspach
The inquest began before Niko Kovac had time to assess the damage. What does this mean for your future, asked an interviewer from German broacaster ZDF.
"My feeling is not important. You'd have to ask those who make the decisions," he said, in understandably testy fashion.
Bayern's power brokers certainly have a decision to make. Saturday's 5-1 loss to Kovac's former employers Eintracht Frankfurt was a new low in a season that started slowly and is yet to pick up any real momentum. With Uli Hoeness, Kovac's biggest ally among Bayern's top brass, set to retire on the same day as the club's AGM — November 15 — there may be another trough around the corner, for Kovac at least.
DW's Matt Pearson
There were caveats for the defeat, Jerome Boateng's early sending off the most obvious, but not for the manner with which the serial Bundesliga champions folded. For most of their seven-year run of titles there's been an inevitablity about Bayern wins, a clinical ability to dominate and to always find a way. That's gone, replaced by a sense of vulnerability. Bochum, Olympiacos and Paderborn are among those that Kovac's men have struggled to put away in recent weeks and the chickens have finally come home to roost.
Though he may not make the decisions about his own future, Kovac is paid to make decisions about his team and he's consistently getting them wrong. In Frankfurt, the balance of Bayern's midfield was way off the mark. Thiago, Coutinho, Kimmich, Müller and Gnabry have many qualities but none of them are ball winners. Javi Martinez, who has done that job in some notable Bayern performances over the years, sat watching from the bench, a position that's becoming increasingly familiar to him.
The bench was also becoming a home from home for Thomas Müller until recently when Kovac bowed to pressure from Müller, others within the club and plenty outside it, and shoehorned the former Germany international in to the same side as Coutinho. Neither player is comfortable wide and both want to take up similar spaces. Furthermore it robs Bayern of the pace on the flanks that Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry have offered so effectively at times this term.
It's evidence of a flaw that's dogged Kovac's time with the Bavarians, the job — and the politics that come with it — often appear too big for him.
As well as the expectations that come with such a big job, the power games at the club are endless. Winning the double would, in most cases, solidify a coach's position. But Kovac's tenure still has an unmistakable air of impermanency.
It may not be fair, he's had to replace some greats and has had some bad luck with injuries this season, but the reality is that he's not been able to impose an identity on the side and not been able to demonstrate the required courage of his convictions.
He might get away with it domestically — the Bundesliga doesn't have a truly outstanding side — but it's difficult to see how Bayern can compete with the best sides in Europe, a major part of Kovac's remit.
The visit of Borussia Dortmund next week would presumably not be the fixture Kovac would choose to fall before the AGM and international break. Failure to win that one could force action from "those who make the decisions". Kovac must take control of his own future.
Bundesliga matchday 10 in pictures
An early red card for Jerome Boateng contributed to a miserable return to Frankfurt for Niko Kovac. RB Leipzig also ran riot, putting eight past Mainz while Düsseldorf, Borussia Dortmund and Gladbach all won.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/A. Hassenstein
Augsburg 2 - 3 Schalke
A brilliant solo effort from Amine Harit earned Schalke a comeback win that lifts them to sixth, level on points with Bayern Munich. Augsburg's veteran midfielder Daniel Baier gave the hosts a 38th minute lead before Stephan Lichtsteiner put through his own net to level it up. An Alfred Finnbogason penalty was cancelled out by an Ozan Kabak header before Harit slalomed his way to the winner.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/A. Hassenstein
Fortuna Düsseldorf 2-0 Cologne
Fortuna Düsseldorf won the first Rhine derby since 1997 with a goal in each half. Rouwen Hennings scored his sixth league goal of the season, tucking away a neat penalty into the bottom corner. Erik Thommy kept his head to score the second just after the hour mark to secure Düsseldorf's second win in three games. The defeat is Cologne's seventh in the league this season.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/L. Baron
Eintracht Frankfurt 5 - 1 Bayern Munich
Niko Kovac endured a difficult trip back to Frankfurt. Jerome Boateng was sent off after nine minutes before Filip Kostic gave the hosts the lead. Djibril Sow's first Bundesliga strike doubled the Eagles' advantage before a brilliant solo effort from Robert Lewandowski got Bayern within a goal at the break. Defenders David Abraham and Martin Hinteregger rubbed salt in the wounds.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/A. Grimm
RB Leipzig 8 - 0 Mainz
Julian Nagelsmann's side dished out their second hiding of the week after a 6-1 cup win. Marcel Sabitzer started the rout early before Timo Werner slid home the second. Christopher Nkunku, Marcel Halstenberg and Yussuf Poulsen got in on the act before the break before Werner grabbed his second and Nordi Mukiele (pictured) grabbed his first of the season. Werner wrapped up his hat-trick late on.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/B. Streubel
Borussia Dortmund 3 - 0 Wolfsburg
A first Dortmund goal for Thorgan Hazard, a fine Raphael Guerreiro strike and a Mario Götze penalty ended the Bundesliga's last unbeaten record. BVB lost captain Marco Reus early on to injury but stepped up the pressure in the second half before the first two goals came in six minutes. The home side were rarely troubled and Götze sealed the win with a spot kick two minutes from time.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/I. Fassbender
Union Berlin 1 - 0 Hertha Berlin
There were spectacular choreos, flares that caused the players to leave the field and a brief pitch invasion at the end but the first meeting of these two clubs in the top flight was less eventful on the pitch. Sebastian Polter slammed home a controversial late penalty that settled a tepid affair and secured capital city bragging rights for Union.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/M. Hitij
Bayer Leverkusen 1 - 2 Borussia Mönchengladbach
Gladbach's rapid start under Marco Rose continued as the Foals extended their lead at the top of the table. Oscar Wendt converted Marcus Thuram's cross at the back post to give his side an early lead before Kevin Volland latched on to a stunning Lucas Alario through ball to level things up. But the in-form Thuram got his fifth goal in six matches just before the break to seal the win.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Becker
Werder Bremen 2 - 2 Freiburg
An excellent display from Milot Rashica wasn't enough for Bremen to pick up their first win since mid September thanks to Nils Petersen's injury time equalizer. Rashica lashed in the opener only to see goalkeeper Jiri Pavlenka hand Petersen his first leveller. Rashica then turned provider for Theodor Gebre Selassie but poor defending allowed Petersen to head in a heartbreaker at the back post.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/C. Mueller
Hoffenheim 3-0 Paderborn
Hoffenheim scored three goals in the opening 25 minutes to go fifth in the table. The in-form hosts got off to the perfect start when Robert Skov banged in a beautiful free-kick. A slick counter-attack involving Florian Grillitsch was finished off by Pavel Kaderabek to make it two, and Jürgen Locadia put the icing on the cake. Hoffenheim have now won four league games in a row.
