3 problems Bayern Munich must solve immediately to improve

Bayern Munich have struggled to be at their usual best this season, and they are currently fifth on the Bundesliga table, 9 points behind unbeaten leaders, Borussia Dortmund.

As evident from their position in Bundesliga, Bayern Munich are currently struggling to find form. They have won the Bundesliga 6 times in the last 6 seasons, and won it last season by 21 points. It is more shocking because we are used to Bayern Munich's effortless dominance in the league.

After the retirement of legendary Jupp Heynckes, former Croatian player, Niko Kovac, took charge of Bayern Munich. He was appointed as the new manager before the start of the season, as he impressed with his time at Eintracht Frankfurt. His team even defeated Bayern Munich in last season's German Cup final.

But Kovac has failed to impress since his appointment as Bayern manager. Moreover, his style of play and team's performances till now are not good enough to earn the trust of Bayern fanatics.

Despite the criticism, it is very likely he will stay with Bayern Munich till the end of the season. Lets take a look at three problems he must solve to improve Bayern's performances.

#1 Poor team chemistry

It seems Kovac's tactics and choices have divided opinions in the Bayern dressing room

Over the last few years, the Bayern Munich squad has not changed much, and seasoned performers in the Bayern squad seem to be out of ideas on the pitch this season.

Although everyone associated with Bayern Munich expected a tactical masterclass due to Kovac's tactical fluency with his former clubs, it seems he is yet to implement his philosophy with his new team. The midfielders lack the dynamism and versatility needed to stretch rivals, and have clearly failed to link up with forwards.

Also, there is genuine lack of pressing, and less work rate from creative forwards, which only leaves Bayern vulnerable to counter attacks. Often, with the ball at their feet, the players look like 'fish out of water'. They are the 2nd worst team when it comes to scoring goals among the top five teams in the Bundesliga.

Moreover, it seems Kovac's tactics and choices have divided opinions in the Bayern dressing room, which only harms the team's chemistry more than ever. The only way now for Kovac is to be more flexible with his ideas, and find the right combination for the plethora of talent at his disposal.

#2 Lack of defensive organisation

Unusually, Bayern Munich's defense has been leaking quite a few goals in the domestic league. Their defensive shape is not what it used to be, and they are often prone to counter attacks from the opposition.

Bayern Munich has conceded 17 goals in the Bundesliga this season - most goals conceded by a team in the top 5. As a result, they have the worst defensive record among the top 5 so far. Today, they were held by Fortuna, although they scored three goals.

Their vulnerability was more noticeable against their eternal rivals, Borussia Dortmund. They lost the match 3-2, although they took the lead two times in the match. Dortmund created chances at will, exploiting the huge gaps in the Bayern defense, and went on to win the match.

As we all know, a good defense plays a pivotal role when it comes to winning titles. It is evident that Bayern Munich lacks the defensive organisation which helped them succeed over the years.

Unlike their rivals in the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich has the luxury of mending their mistakes, due to the presence of talent at their disposal. Niko Kovac must find a way to stabilise the defensive shape of the team quickly if the Bavarians want their hands on any silverware this season.

#3 Lack of squad rotation

Despite injuries and a poor run of form, Rodriguez is by far the most productive player at Bayern

In addition to failing at implementing his philosophy in a new set up, Niko Kovac has had a lot of critics due to his treatment of players who are eager to perform. One such instance is James Rodriguez who is unhappy, according to German media outlets like Bild.

Despite his injuries and a poor run of form, James Rodriguez is by far the most productive player at Bayern Munich. James was the key man in the second half of last season under former manager, Jupp Heynckes, and delivered with some grand performances.

It seems Kovac's arrogant choices include less rotations and an inability to bench players who are simply not at their best. His strict man management may not be the best way forward for the team.

What Kovac needs is to gain the trust of the most effective young guns, and he can attain this by shuffling the squad more than usual. Not only will this increase the belief in the squad, but it will also increase the fluidity of the team whose movements seem rigid at times.

Edited by Anthony Akatugba Jr.