The new Bayern boss is already under pressure but one of his former players isn’t too concerned
Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky has backed his former boss Niko Kovac despite an indifferent start to life at Bayern Munich.
Kovac succeeded Jupp Heynckes in the summer but already finds himself under scrutiny after some poor recent results.
The German giants, on the back of six successive Bundesliga titles, are without a win in four games in all competitions and sit sixth in Bundesliga table, four points behind leaders Borussia Dortmund.
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Bayern President Uli Hoeness, chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic even called a news conference to publicly defend Kovac and hit out at his treatment by the media amid speculation former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger could replace the 47-year-old.
Now Hradecky, who won the German Cup under Kovac at Eintracht Frankfurt last season before joining Leverksuen in the summer, has also leapt to his defence.
“A weak phase can happen and now everyone finds the smallest mistakes, but I’m not worried that Niko has to worry about his job,” the 28-year-old told Goal and Spox.
Hradecky suspects the Bayern players, so used to dominating possession and playing on the front foot, are struggling to adapt to Kovac’s more defensive approach.
“You do not have to defend at FC Bayern, they want to see offensive football there, and it’s probably annoying for the players that they have to train so many defensive things.”
Despite his early struggles at the Allianz Arena, Hradecky doesn’t blame Kovac for making the move despite initially saying he wanted to stay at Frankfurt.
“For his own perspective, of course, it was the right decision to go to Bayern. If I were him, I would have done it as well. Anyone would have accepted an offer from Bayern. Nevertheless we’ve been a bit surprised. No one believed he can take such a big step and that he is allowed to.”
Hradecky’s current boss Heiko Herrlich is also under pressure after Bayer Leverkusen’s poor start to the campaign.
Herrlich’s side are 14th in the table after winning just one of their opening seven matches but Hradecky insists he is still the right man for the job.
“We to have got less points but… I hope Heiko can keep his job. We players have not discussed about him.”