Bayern Munich part ways with Niko Kovac

Following a damning 5-1 defeat at the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt, Bundesliga champions, Bayern Munich officially parted ways with Niko Kovac this evening.

The Croatian had only been at the helm in Bavaria for a year and a half, however, recent struggles for form alongside a string of poor results has seen Kovac come under heavy fire this season. Despite defeating Tottenham Hotspur 7-2 in the UEFA Champions League recently, results and performances have hit something of a low since. Losing to Hoffenheim at home, drawing away to Ausburg and struggling against Olympiakos, fans were growing increasingly frustrated with the situation at the club.

Following a humiliating 5-1 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt this weekend, the pressure intensified on the coach and the club. Little over 24 hours passed before an official statement from the club confirmed that Bayern had severed ties with Kovac.

However, not long after the club announced his departure, a statement from the former Bayern player confirmed that he had chosen to step down. In his statement, he said:

“I think that this is the right decision for the club at the moment. The results, and also the way we played lately, made me come to that decision.” He continued “My brother Robert and I thank Bayern for the last one and a half years. During this time, our team has won the league, the DFB Pokal and the Super-cup. It was a good time. I wish the club and the team all the best.”

Despite a strong record of 45 wins from his 65 games in charge and a league and cup double in his debut campaign, the defeat against Frankfurt was the heaviest that Bayern have suffered in the Bundesliga in a decade. In fact, the 5 goals scored by Eintracht in the game is more than the total they’ve scored against Bayern in their previous 10 encounters.

Bayern are in action twice next week, facing Olympiakos in the UEFA Champions League before playing Der Klassiker against Borussia Dortmund. The club have appointed assistant coach Hans Flick as caretaker manager for the time being.

Whilst it is not known how long Bayern will wait until they make a decision on their new head coach, reports are circulating that Massimiliano Allegri and Jose Mourinho are both the main front-runners for the job.