Niko Kovac is no longer Bayern München's boss, and judging by the latest reports, it comes as no surprise.
The relationship between the Croatian boss and his players was far from being the best, as former players such as James Rodríguez had stated before leaving the club last summer. Now, following the team's 5-1 loss, Kovac had some choice words aimed at his former players that go deeper into the relationship between the former Die Roten boss and his pupils.
Kovac's last brush with Bayern's players, according to Bild, took place on Sunday, before the team's hierarchy decided to part ways with him. The German newspaper reveals that Kovac aimed furious criticism at at least four players, with Serge Gnabry, Thiago Alcántara, Kingsley Coman and Jerome Boateng taking most of the heat.
Kovac aimed his first dig at Gnabry for his poor ball-handling skills.
"You lost the ball too easily," Kovac told the German player.
Then, Kovac took a swing at Kingsley Coman for his lack of effort, compared to that of other players.
"Kingsley, you just stood by the whole time, and you had Thomas (Müller) fighting for the ball," Kovac reportedly said.
But after slamming Thiago Alcántara for "bragging" too much, he aimed his harshest criticism at Jerome Boateng, who was sent off during the earlier minutes of the game.
"You have to be smarter when you face such situations. You guys don't listen. We spoke and trained these scenarios, but when we are playing, all of you forget about them," Kovac said.
Mourinho and Allegri named as Kovac's potential replacements
According to Bild, Massimiliano Allegri and Jose Mourinho are at the top of Bayern's wishlist to replace Niko Kovac. Other choices for Bayern's hierarchy are Ajax's boss Erik Ten Hag, Arsene Wenger and Ralf Rangnick. While a decision is expected on this matter by the end of the week, interim coach Hansi Flick is the interim solution for Die Roten's current predicament.
