3 clubs who are worse off than Manchester United currently

2. Bayern Munich

Kovac's run has quickly turned pear-shaped

Bayern Munich started the Niko Kovac era with a bang as they notched up 7 straight victories. However, over the last fortnight, Bayern have found themselves on the receiving end of two losses and two uninspiring draws. With the German giants languishing at 5th in the league; the alarm bells have started ringing at the Allianz Arena.

Their latest defeat included a shock 3-0 defeat at home to Borussia Monchengladbach. Earlier, a lucky 1-1 home draw with Ajax had sowed the seeds of discontent. Over the weeks, Bayern have looked toothless in attack. However, the problems run deeper than only the past couple of weeks.

The last season saw a similar pattern where Bayern failed to unlock stoic defences and were eventually punished for their defensive errors. The Champions League semi-final and the DFB Pokal final are prime examples. Kovac’s initial results promised a change from the trend but the old deficiencies have resurfaced.

Kovac is a man who pays a lot of attention to the finest aspects of the game and is a disciplinarian akin to Pep. Though Kovac has a long way to go before emulating the Catalan, their preparation methods have a lot of similarities. Yet, the results have not gone Kovac’s way and he finds himself under the pump, two months into his first big job.

Though Bayern are not embroiled in any off-field conflicts, their problems on the pitch are more than enough to cause a furrowed brow or two.

The future doesn’t look very promising for Bayern. ‘Robbery’ (Robben and Ribery) isn’t getting any younger and the pair of Lewandowski and Muller aren’t the same players they were a couple of years back.

In looking at short-term success, Bayern have not yet developed a young core that could lead them into a new era. Despite the experienced heads capable of springing a surprise or two, expecting them to carry it throughout a full-fledged season is a little too optimistic.

A lack of planning, a lack of a Plan B and a lack of ideas have placed Bayern in an uncomfortable spot. If the German giants are to recover their mojo, something needs to happen and happen quickly. However, as of now, Bayern are in more of a crisis than they would like to admit.