Eintracht Frankfurt bookended Niko Kovac’s Bayern Munich stint as head coach. The Eagles were defeated by Bayern Munich 5-0 in the German Super Cup in Kovac’s first competitive match in charge of the club.
It was a significant result in August 2018 as it marked the arrival of the former Bayern Munich player at the Allianz Arena.
Just over 12 months later, Bayern Munich’s 5-1 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt marked the coach’s final game in charge of the reigning Bundesliga champions. It was Bayern Munich’s heaviest defeat in more than a decade and as Kovac said, “embarrassing”.
Kovac recorded a 69% win-rate in charge of Bayern Munich and despite winning three trophies in charge of the club. Along with the 2018 German Super Cup, Kovac led the club to the Bundesliga title and the German Cup.
The former midfielder never seemed to be Bayern Munich’s first choice as coach and it felt like his time could come to an end at any moment. Over the summer, the club was linked to Ajax coach Erik ten Hag, but the Dutch manager wasn’t interested in moving to Bayern Munich at the time.
In the wake of Kovac’s sacking, opinion columns have claimed Bayern Munich had no choice but to sack him. Kovac’s failure was not all his fault, at least not total.
Yes, Kovac’s tactics weren’t always spot on and occasionally negative which showed during his time coaching Eintracht Frankfurt from 2016 to 2018 as well.
Bayern Munich’s shortcomings cannot be blamed completely on Kovac. The club has worked poorly in the transfer market in recent seasons and the players at Bayern Munich are not of the quality in years past.
The Germans are still overcoming the reign of coach Pep Guardiola who oversaw the club from 2013 to 2016. Guardiola brought in a host of players to play his style of tikka-taka football. He changed the club’s playing style and when he left, Bayern Munich was left in limbo.
Carlo Ancelotti followed Guardiola in the Bayern Munich hot seat but lasted just over a season in charge. Kovac’s exit makes him Bayern Munich’s second straight coach to be dismissed after just over one season in charge.
Former Bayern Munich player Hans-Dieter Flick has been put in charge of the team on an interim basis. Flick joined Bayern Munich in the summer as an assistant coach. The interim boss has a big task ahead of him.
Bayern Munich are four points behind Bundesliga leaders Borussia Monchengladbach and the reigning champions are in for a fight to regain their title. Flick is tasked with righting the ship on a short-term basis.
Arsene Wenger and Ralf Rangnick are both on Bayern Munich’s shortlist to take charge. Would either manager be able to turn Bayern Munich around at this point?