Bayern boss Kovac: Coaches given insufficient time to make impact

Despite leading Bayern Munich to Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal success last year, Niko Kovac has received a lot of stick for a rocky to season start this year.

Niko Kovac expressed his frustration at the lack of continuity in coaching and pointed to Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool as a positive example of what can happen if a coach is given time.

Bayern Munich manager Niko Kovac has complained  about the insufficient time coaches are given at a football club to implement their ideas and make significant impact.

Despite leading Bayern to Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal success last season, Kovac oversaw a disappointing round-of-16 exit in the Champions League and his position has come under scrutiny in the early stages of the 2019-20 campaign.

The Bavarian giant has won just five of their nine league games and sit a point behind Borussia Monchengladbach at the Bundesliga summit, leading to speculation that Jose Mourinho has been lined up as a replacement for Kovac.

Speaking ahead of his side's DFB-Pokal second-round tie with Bochum on Tuesday, Kovac expressed his frustration at the lack of continuity in coaching and pointed to Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool in the Premier League as a positive example of what can happen if a coach is given time.

"You need time," he told a media conference. "You have to get to know your colleagues and the procedures, but that does not seem to apply to coaches. It's not about me, but about this issue in general.

"Klopp is now at Liverpool for four years, so we talk about continuity. Apparently, it no longer exists in football."

Kovac is likely to make changes for the visit to Bochum but would not be drawn on whether Philippe Coutinho would be rested.

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Coutinho has impressed following his loan move from Barcelona, but Kovac is not happy with the attacking midfielder playing a combined 150 minutes in Brazil's friendlies against Senegal and Nigeria earlier this month.

"I am very satisfied with him," he said. "He always puts himself in the service of the team. Maybe he should not play so much every time he's with the national team. 

"The burden of flying and playing is quite high so we have to try to talk to the national coach."

Kovac confirmed that Javi Martinez is the only injury absentee for the clash at the Ruhrstadion, with Leon Goretzka expected to make his first start since the DFL-Supercup defeat to Borussia Dortmund on August 3.