By Oliver Trust
BERLIN, April 30 (Xinhua) -- To survive as Bayern Munich coach, 47-year-old Niko Kovac needs to win the 2019 double, says a media report.
The reigning German champions can count on a two-point lead in the national league with three rounds of matches to go and has reached the final of the German Cup against RB Leipzig played on May 25 in Berlin.
The Sueddeutsche Zeitung is referring to reliable sources from inside the club telling the paper the upcoming weeks will decide over the future of the former Croatian national coach.
Kovac can apparently rely on the support of Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness who is said to favor Kovac as Bayern's coach for the 2019/2020 season. The 67-year-old 1974 world champion is assumed to have succeeded in an internal power struggle against the Bavarians head of board Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
Rummenigge said Kovac needs to deliver to keep his job as to achieve constant success is an unwritten law. The club leader's considerable disagreement is endangering the seasons' goals several German media commented.
Kovac recently was accused of having gambled away a possible victory in the side's latest league game against underdog 1. FC Nuremberg (1-1) last Sunday. Bayern missed taking advantage of Borussia Dortmund's defeat against FC Schalke 04 (4-2) the day before.
Kovac remains under fire since the German record champions was eliminated in the Champions League by the Premier League outfits Liverpool FC and their German coach Juergen Klopp as early as in the last-16 round. Disappointment couldn't have been more significant after Bayern missed further progress on the international stage.
Hoeness and Rummenigge demanded to abandon rotation and in the seasons finish count on a regularly selected starting-eleven. Kovac obeyed the club leaders' orders and managed to regain the league' top spot catching up on Dortmund after Bayern was behind by nine points back in November.
Rummenigge increased the pressure on Kovac by talking about Bayern's former midfielder Xavi Alonso as a possibly suitable coach for the 2013 treble winner. The 37-year-old Spaniard is currently working on his coaching license. "We should consider him as Bayern coach in the future," Rummenigge emphasized adding "Alonso was the best strategist" in the clubs' history.
Matthaeus mentioned RB Leipzig as Kovac's only remaining problem as the Bavarians are crossing swords with the ambitious East German side twice in the remaining games such as in the Bundesliga and the Cup.
The 150 capped former German international said he doesn't expect Bayern to win their away game in Leipzig but in the end narrowly defend the lead in the league on matchday 34 on home soil against this season's surprise Eintracht Frankfurt. "The title race developed into a nail-biter every fan can be happy about," the 1990 World Champion commented.
Despite the debate about his uncertain future Kovac seems to concentrate on the season's finish entirely. The former midfielder seems aware of the pressure put on his shoulders but has decided to operate cautiously to avoid additional turmoil.
To struggle would mean for Kovac to create further unrest and most likely being forced to depart after this season. Kovac might not always have been treated fairly as he had to handle a problematic generation change in Bayern's squad. But he seems to have to accept Bayern's general guideline saying only titles lead to happiness.
