UPDATE: Kovac confirms Niklas Süle has injured his ACL
FC Augsburg - Bayern Munich Photo by Matthias Balk/picture alliance via Getty ImagesAfter the match Niko Kovac told Bild that Süle had injured his ACL.The Bayern Munich defense has received it’s share of criticism this season and a short 10 minutes into the tie with FC Augsburg things went from bad to worse when Niklas Sule left the match after sustaining a scary knee injury.Challenging for an easy bouncing ball near the box, Niklas Sule pulled up mid challenge after an awkward plant immediately grabbing his left knee. Sule was immediately assessed by team doctors and then carried from the field. The scene carried eerie reminders of the ACL injury Javi Martinez suffered in 2014, given the non-contact nature of the injury, the immediacy of treatment and the tests performed. He was immediately replaced by David Alaba.Niklas Sule has been Bayern’s defensive rock all season, providing the vast bulk of the minutes at centerback and allowing Niko Kovac to get creative with his defensive partnerships. While that hasn’t always worked in Bayern’s favor, losing as crucial a player as Sule for an extended period of time would be a huge blow to their tactical acumen and prospects going into the heart of the Hinründe.UPDATE: Kovac confirms torn ACL, possibly further damageNiko Kovac spoke to Bild briefly after Bayern Munich’s disappointing 2-2 draw against Augsburg. He confirmed that Niklas Süle has apparently torn his ACL.#Kovac über die #Süle-Verletzung: „Das, was ich jetzt schon gehört habe, ist, dass das Kreuzband beschädigt ist. Wir müssen schauen, inwieweit noch andere Bereiche im Knie in Mitleidenschaft gezogen worden sind.“ #FCBayern— BILD FC Bayern (@BILD_Bayern) October 19, 2019What I now have heard is that the ACL is damaged. We have to see to what extent other areas of the knee have also been injured.We will update this story as we learn more.Read more...

<b>Injury update: Hernandez successfully operated; Coman fit? Cuisance back; U-19 keeper out with syndesmosis tear</b>
<a href="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KaoR2q-TkXdlFr6gSjOuEAjb6hA=/0x0:3552x2368/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65544993/1182843567.jpg.0.jpg">FC Bayern Muenchen Departs To Munich</a> Photo by M. Donato/FC Bayern via Getty ImagesLucas Hernandez underwent a successful operation on his ankle today and Michael Cuisance returned to training after recovering from a groin injury. Kingsley Coman skipped the optional practice today and may be dealing with an issue.Hernandez undergoes successful operation<a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/bundesliga/teams/bayern-munich">Bayern Munich</a> has announced that injured defender Lucas Hernandez underwent a successful operation to repair a partial ligament tear in his right ankle today (<a href="https://fcbayern.com/de/news/2019/10/lucas-hernandez-erfolgreich-operiert">FCBayern</a>). The operation was performed by Dr. Johannes Gabel in Murnau, southwest of Munich. Hernandez will need approximately two months to recover. His <em>Hinrunde</em> is effectively over.Kingsley Coman ailing?<em>TZ’s</em> Manuel Bonke revealed that Niko Kovac decided not to play Kingsley Coman because he was dealing with a minor issue — “leicht angeschlagen” in German. Coman did not attend the voluntary training session today in Munich.Kleines Personal-Update am Rande - und auch in der Causa <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/M%C3%BCller?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Müller</a> nicht uninteressant: Kingsley <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Coman?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Coman</a> war in Piräus ebenfalls leicht angeschlagen, weshalb ihn <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Kovac?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Kovac</a> nicht spielen ließ. Beim heutigen Freiwilligen-Training fehlte er ebenfalls. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FCBayern?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FCBayern</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FCBFCU?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FCBFCU</a>— Manuel Bonke (@mano_bonke) <a href="https://twitter.com/mano_bonke/status/1187376440221851649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2019</a>Bonke finds the fact that Coman was deemed unfit to play rather interesting in connection with Thomas Müller’s long-anticipated return to the starting lineup: in other words, did Kovac give Müller the start only because Coman was unavailable and Gnabry could play on the left wing?Cuisance back from groin injury (<a href="https://fcbayern.com/en/news/2019/10/cuisance-returns">FCBayern</a>)Michael Cuisance rejoined training today for a voluntary and thinly attended session. He had been out with a groin injury. Eight players took part in the session today: <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/bundesliga/players/253660/leon-goretzka">Leon Goretzka</a>, <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/bundesliga/players/110259/jerome-boateng">Jerome Boateng</a>, Ivan Perisic, <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/mls/players/277474/alphonso-davies">Alphonso Davies</a>, Lukas Mai, and goalkeepers Christian Früchtl and Ron-Thorben Hoffmann, while <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/bundesliga/players/187935/javi-martinez">Javi Martinez</a> did some light jogging as he works out the muscular problem that required his substitution in Piraeus.Javi Martínez (muscular problems) working individually at Säbener Straße [ <a href="https://twitter.com/Sky_Torben?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Sky_Torben</a>]<a href="https://t.co/QHwi6RE2qS">pic.twitter.com/QHwi6RE2qS</a>— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) <a href="https://twitter.com/iMiaSanMia/status/1187300296927645696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2019</a>U-19 goalkeeper Manuel Kainz out with syndesmosis tear (<a href="https://fcbayern.com/de/news/2019/10/syndesmosebandriss-u19-muss-vorerst-auf-manuel-kainz-verzichten">FCBayern</a>)Terrible news for Bayern’s U-19 team. Goalkeeper Manuel Kainz, just 17 years old, suffered a torn syndesmosis…

Bayern Munich front office to make decision on Niko Kovac this weekend
Eintracht Frankfurt v FC Bayern München - Bundesliga for DFL Photo by Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Bundesliga Collection via Getty ImagesPer Sport1, the Bayern bosses will make a decision on Kovac before the weekend concludes.It was a bitterly disappointing homecoming at the Commerzbank Arena for Niko Kovac as Bayern Munich suffered their biggest defeat since 2009, losing 5-1 to Eintracht Frankfurt. A 10th-minute red card for Jerome Boateng led to a thorough 5-1 rout.Not long after the match, Bayern officially announced that Sunday’s (planned) open training session would no longer be open to the public:Nach der Niederlage in Frankfurt wurde kurzfristig die Entscheidung getroffen, morgen nicht öffentlich zu trainieren. Wir bitten alle Fans um Verständnis.— FC Bayern München (@FCBayern) November 2, 2019Per Sport1’s Florian Plettenberg, the decision to close Sunday’s training session does not have to do with Niko Kovac’s standing; rather Bayern wants the players to be able to train in peace, away from the public eye. Plettenberg maintains that a decision about Kovac will, however, be made at some point before the end of the weekend:UPDATE #Kovac: Absage des öffentlichen Trainings war KEINE Absage der Bosse. Wurde getroffen, um Spieler morgen in Ruhe arbeiten lassen zu können. Entscheidung über Kovac wird Sonntag erwartet. Tenor vereinsintern: Hoeneß/Rummenigge entscheiden allein, wie es weitergeht. @SPORT1— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) November 2, 2019Update #Kovac: cancellation of public training was NOT a cancellation of the bosses. It was made to let the players work in peace tomorrow. Decision about Kovac expected on Sunday. Trend inside the club: Hoeness/Rummenigge alone decide what happens next.Kovac and his coaching staff will have to address the ongoing struggles with the players during the closed training session, while Uli Hoeness and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (presumably) decide his fate. Bayern’s front office is not known for making rash decisions, especially when it comes to the manager’s position, but Hoeness and Rummenigge surely have a whole lot to consider in their decision-making process.Eintracht Frankfurt v FC Bayern Muenchen - Bundesliga Photo by Alex Grimm/Bongarts/Getty ImagesRead more...

Report: Niko Kovač stays for the Olympiacos and Borussia Dortmund games
Eintracht Frankfurt v FC Bayern Muenchen - Bundesliga Photo by Alex Grimm/Bongarts/Getty ImagesKovač has been given one more week to fix things up in Munich.The position of Niko Kovač at Bayern Munich seemed highly questionable after the harrowing loss against Adi Hütter’s Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday. Kovač has already been facing denunciation from several people for about a month for his senseless and unavailing decisions.The front office seemed to have faith in Kovač even when things didn’t seem to work. But the 5-1 loss against Frankfurt wasn’t something they could take lightly. The question about the coach’s future in Munich was discussed widely in social media after the loss.The latest update from Munich suggests that the front office has decided to give Kovač two more games to figure things out. The decision will be made only after the games against Borussia Dortmund and Olympiacos F.C.Niko #Kovac bleibt nach dem 1:5-Debakel in Frankfurt weiterhin Trainer des #FCBayern - und wird die Mannschaft damit auch gegen #Piräus und den #BVB coachen. Intern wird derzeit (noch) keine Trainer-Diskussion geführt, die zu einem Rauswurf führen könnte. #SGEFCB— Manuel Bonke (@mano_bonke) November 3, 2019If Bayern does not drastically improve their form within a week, Kovač will no longer be able to stay in Munich. There is a very big possibility of the Croat getting sacked if Bayern fails to collect three points at Allianz against Olympiacos.Our Story: https://t.co/PX127B8Ypd— Christian Falk (@cfbayern) November 3, 2019Bayern needs drastic improvement and even if Bayern wins both gams next week, it isn’t going to be an easy task for Kovač to gain the faith of the supporters again. That being said, two victories next week would be a start.Read more...

VfL Wolfsburg v FC Augsburg - Bundesliga Photo by Cathrin Mueller/Getty Images Who will take over at Borussia Dortmund? If you have not been keeping up with the ins-and-out of the Bundesliga coaching carousel, then hop aboard and let’s catch up on things at Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen. (Thankfully, Bayern Munich is not involved in these proceedings)Mike Tullberg is manning the interim gig at Borussia Dortmund, but things are hazy regarding who might get the job permanently. As for Bayer Leverkusen, Xabi Alonso could be in his final months with the club.Let’s take a look at some of the most recent reports from Sky Sport journalist Florian Plettenberg.Kovač to BVB? (@Plettigoal)Former Bayern Munich boss Niko Kovač is under consideration by Borussia Dortmund, but Erik ten Hag is not (at least not right now) per Sky Sport journalist Florian Plettenberg: ⚫️ There were new considerations and discussions today, but Erik ten Hag will NOT become the head coach of Borussia Dortmund at this time.The transfer package is currently too expensive for Dortmund, and he remains on Manchester United’s payroll. #MUFCInstead, #BVB are in talks with Niko #Kovac.Alonso expected to leave Leverkusen in Summer ‘25 or ‘26 (@Plettigoal)Plettenberg reported that Xabi Alonso is expected to leave Bayer Leverkusen either this summer or next: ⚪️ At Bayer 04 Leverkusen, there is a common expectation that Xabi #Alonso will become the coach of Real Madrid either this summer or next year.This is partly because all other major managerial positions – Liverpool, Bayern, Manchester City – are currently filled, and Real Madrid see him as the logical successor to Carlo Ancelotti.However, at the moment, Leverkusen have no information indicating that Alonso will step down as their coach this summer.Kovač, Fischer under consideration for BVB (@Plettigoal)Borussia Dortmund Niko Kovač and Urs Fischer are two of the prime candidates to take over the vacant post: ⚫️ Niko #Kovac is open to becoming Borussia Dortmund’s coach, as reported. Initial contact with his management took place on Thursday. However, Kovac would prefer to sign a contract until the end of the season, with an option for one or two additional seasons.Currently, it seems unlikely that #BVB will grant him this option, which is why the club are also considering other candidates, such as Urs #Fischer.More on Kovač, Fischer (@Plettigoal)Plettenberg checked in to add more info on Borussia Dortmund: ⚫️ Urs #Fischer is another candidate Borussia Dortmund have considered in the past few hours. #BVBThe former Union Berlin coach is reportedly willing to take over only until the end of the season, according to @berger_pj.However, the Niko #Kovac deal is still on.Secret meeting in Austria for BVB, Kovač (@Plettigoal)Who doesn’t love a good secret meeting to add intrigue to a situation? Check this out: ⚫️ #BVB bosses held talks with Niko #Kovac during a secret meeting in Austria, as per @RNBVB and confirmed.Dortmund want Kovac to take over until the summer. However, Kovac insists on a contract running at least until 2026 or 2027.BVB, on the other hand, are looking for a temporary solution so they can unveil a more prominent choice in the summer, such as Sebastian Hoeneß or Roger Schmidt.If negotiations with Kovac fail, it remains possible that Mike Tullberg will coach on an interim basis until the end of the season.Is Bayern Munich setting the bar too low for itself with some of the decisions that it is making? Where does Bayern need to to improve the roster now...and in the future? Should the club just stay quiet about Joshua Kimmich’s contract situation? We think so! Let’s talk about all of that and more on the Bavarian Podcast Works Show. You can get the podcast on Patreon, Spotify, or below: Be sure to stay tuned to Bavarian Podcast Works for all of your up to date coverage on Bayern Munich and Germany. Check us out on Patreon and follow us on Twitter @BavarianFBWorks, @BavarianPodcast @TheBarrelBlog, @BFWCyler, @IredahlMarcus, @2012nonexistent, @TommyAdams71…