Breaking Bayern Munich: How Does Niko Kovac Turn Around the Mini Crisis?

They are on a run of six successive Bundesliga titles, but suddenly, Bayern Munich do not seem so invincible.

After four games without a victory, the team are considered to be in a mini crisis. New coach Niko Kovac is already feeling the pressure of life in charge of an elite club, as bloggers, journalists and former players debate whether he is up to the task of leading them forward.

He took over during the summer on the back of a stint with Eintracht Frankfurt but needs his team to show improvements soon.

Bayern Munich President Uli Hoeness kept a close eye on Wednesday's training session from his office, and Bild described how Kovac worked on fitness and tactics with the players who had not been away on international duty. As the rest of the team arrive back for club duty ahead of Saturday's fixture with Wolfsburg, they will be expected to raise their game.

Bayern trail league leaders Borussia Dortmund by four points, but it's perhaps the manner of their performances that are more worrying than the gap between their sixth position and the high-flying BVB.

There are plenty of factors to analyse, with recruitment, an ageing squad and poor management all raised as reasons Bayern are struggling to live up to the levels expected of them.

Journalist Chris Williams, an expert on Bundesliga, saw signs last year that the team's dominance would eventually be tested.

"There was an expectation that Bayern could stutter this season," he told Bleacher Report. "That was mainly based on the fact that under Carlo Ancelotti, they stuttered quite badly. It was only the reappointment of Jupp Heynckes that brought a degree of stability to the side.

"Even last season under Heynckes, there was a stumble. In the UEFA Champions League, they once again bowed out with a whimper, and then the DFB-Pokal final against Frankfurt was perhaps the biggest indicator that a shift in power could be on its way.

"Kovac's Eintracht Frankfurt took Bayern apart. Their high press and constant harassment of the Bavarians led to many mistakes, which Kovac exploited to good effect."

Matthias Balk/Associated Press

Heynckes steadied the ship last season at a time when Ancelotti had failed to deliver results. A feelgood factor returned with a man who was beginning a fourth stint as boss, including his spell as caretaker in 2009. Fans jumped while shouting his name, and the players responded. Bayern went on to win Bundesliga, winning 22 of Heynckes' 26 league matches in charge.

But he retired at the end of the season, and the club is having to face up to the fact that transition may be tough. Kovac is highly regarded for his work at Frankfurt, but there is a need for patience too. His only other major role as a coach was in international football with Croatia.

The 3-0 home defeat to Borussia Monchengladbach on Oct. 6 meant the international break was a time of serious reflection for Bayern, and Bundesliga commentator Kevin Hatchard admits he has been surprised at just how quickly the champions have unravelled.

"The first failure was against Augsburg, and it was a game Bayern would have won had they taken numerous chances," he explained. "That said, Kovac made some strange calls that night, such as deploying midfielder Leon Goretzka at left-back. Goretzka was baffled and admitted he performed poorly in such an unfamiliar role. It's surprising how quickly the rot set in.

"Against Hertha Berlin, they made basic defensive errors and were sloppy in attack. Passes were misplaced in the final third, and there was a lack of pace to Bayern's attacking play.

"It's Bayern's attack that has caused concern in recent games. Kovac seems to be relying on the same old patterns and has been loath to try anything new. Bayern have become predictable, and against Borussia Monchengladbach, they barely exerted any pressure on the defence.

"At Frankfurt, Kovac was used to having to battle and scrap and play on the counter. But at Bayern, the challenge is to break down determined defences, and that's what he's struggling with at present."

He also has to manage bigger personalities than in his previous job.

There was a report in Bild (h/t Marca) that revealed how James Rodriguez was frustrated at being left out of the side and, in a dressing room attack, told Kovac: "We're not at Frankfurt here." But Thomas Muller, Arjen Robben, Mats Hummels and Manuel Neuer all play major roles in the dressing room—and are unafraid to speak their minds publicly too.

"That's the case even when it is criticising the squad or coach," Williams said. "With Heynckes, the senior players had a coach they knew and could trust. Elements of the squad have looked more powerful than the coach before and after Heynckes. It doesn't bode well for a harmonious relationship.

"Bayern have been at the top of the tree for the past six years. As with all footballing dynasties, they eventually fall. Should it finally happen this season, the writing has been on the wall for 12 months—even if Heynckes managed to paper over the cracks for a while."

To many of those who do not scrutinise Bayern on a week-to-week basis, this has come as a surprise. Bayern are always expected to succeed. It comes with the record of being 28-time German champions.

A look through their squad suggests this side may just be relying on attacking players who are past their best—particularly Robben at 34 and Franck Ribery at 35.

Robben himself commented on the situation to Kicker (h/t Bayern & Germany), saying: "We are still very much worth it. Age is being discussed. There is only good or bad, not young or old. I feel almost as fit as never before, had a great preparation over seven weeks and will give it my all until the end."

There also has to be a question mark over the ambition and motivation of Robert Lewandowski, who is now 30 and seemed to be considering the possibility of a move to other clubs during the summer. Back in March, we reported on how Chelsea and Real Madrid had an eye on the Poland international and that he had taken on superagent Pini Zahavi for career guidance.

But Sven Westerschulze, a football reporter at Sport Bild, has no doubt about the player's focus and feels it is the team's style that is to blame for the fact that Lewandowski has not been as prolific in front of goal as we may normally expect.

"Once the transfer window closed, officials at Bayern thought he would score, score, score—because he is still one of the best strikers in the world," Westerschulze said. "He remains so powerful, has a good strike and he's great with his head. But his problem is nothing to do with his mentality—it's that he doesn't get the passes he needs to be effective for his team.

"Their style of play is too slow. They can not surprise opponents like before. It means they don't find him in the positions he likes to get into. For me, that's the problem."

Again, that comes back to the age-old problem of Robben and Ribery and the need for them to be used more effectively.

"Their age is one of the biggest black marks on the club," says fan Tim Richards of Bavarian Tweets. "While I've been very vocal in my support of Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben, many fans are demanding a changing of the guard. They say, 'I don't want a 400-year-old winger starting for my club' and 'why can't we get Kylian Mbappe or Eden Hazard?'

"It's somewhat infuriating to see, but I understand where they're coming from. Physically, they don't have that explosive edge that they used to, even though mentally, football brain-wise, they're still among the best in the world.

"There is also a belief that these two call the shots, that they were responsible for Ancelotti's sacking and that they're always visibly annoyed to be subbed off."

Leaving them on the sidelines is going to be one of the biggest calls of Kovac's life, but it is a decision that could increase his popularity if it pays off.

"This is his first top European team, and he needs to change the way he works," said Westerschulze. "At Frankfurt, he had to make players better. But now, he has to be a better communicator. He has to tell Robben and Ribery they can't play every game—the young players have to play. He has to learn that.

"But generally, he just needs some time. His first seven games in all competitions, he won them all. The manager of Schalke even said he thought Bayern would be unbeaten this year.

"A few games later, people say it's a crisis and that he's not good enough. For me, it is too fast."