Friday October 15, 2021
Development work in Monaco
“Flick-Explorer” Niko Kovac turns 50
Niko Kovac was born in Berlin-Wedding. He plays for Croatia and for many years in the Bundesliga. He is revered as a coach in Frankfurt, never really arrives at Bayern and now works in Monaco. In addition, he discovers the current national coach, Hansi Flick, who is succeeding him in Munich.
Niko Kovac would have loved to win the sextuple with Bayern Munich himself, but he still feels his share in the historic season is great. “Hansi Flick was my thought,” the stoic Croat once asserted in “Sport Bild”. However, the former Bayern professional is not jealous of today’s national coach. “I brought him on board, so I was able to do my part in the end,” said Kovac. The long-time Bundesliga player has long since ticked the painful end.
Today the former clearer celebrates his 50th birthday. The urge to defensive shapes his life: learned in the backyards of West Berlin, Kovac also demands aggressiveness from his players as a coach. The preference for a close-knit system is obvious. At the big FC Bayern, however, Kovac came across granite. In contrast to Eintracht Frankfurt, which he made the cup winner, the Munich noble technicians were not suitable for his style of play. Before Kovac realized that, his time was up.
Revered in Frankfurt, in demand in Monaco
He didn’t avoid any faux pas. First he abolished the rotation, reintroduced it after a word of power from the Bayern bosses and stuck to his virtues, which have been proven not to fit the club. In retrospect, the jump to a top club came too early. In Frankfurt, the former Croatian national player and coach had convinced with his calm manner, the fans adored him. But Kovac led her by the nose.
“There is no reason to doubt that I will not be a coach here next year,” Kovac said in April 2018. A few days later, his move to Munich became public. Malice and ridicule rained down on him. Kovac has long since withdrawn from the hustle and bustle. He turned down an offer from his hometown Berlin, he did development work at AS Monaco and formed a championship candidate. His calm manner was in demand, his game idea was well received. The start of the new season failed, however, the press pounced on him – but Kovac remained calm. The coach turned the trend. Unlike in Munich.