James threatens to leave in Bayern dressing room outburst
Real Madrid loanee James Rodriguez reportedly broke into a fit of rage in the Bayern dressing room, saying that he was going to tell coach Niko Kovac he wanted to leave.
Real Madrid loanee James Rodrigues reportedly had a fit of rage in the Bayern Munich dressing room directed at coach Niko Kovac, who was not present at the time. The Bundesliga champions are without a win in their last three games, in which James has played very little part.
German paper Bild reports that during a heated dressing room speech, James shouted, “We’re not at Frankfurt,” seemingly alluding to Kovac’s former club, Eintracht Frankfurt.
Bild claims the Colombian is unhappy about his frequent omission from the starting lineup this season, and also stated in the dressing room that he was going to tell the Bayern coach that he wanted to leave.
Mini-crisis
James' discontent is a symptom of the current mini-crisis in the Bayern dressing room, according to the German paper.
The players are reportedly unhappy with Kovac for a number of reasons. Firstly, he has been criticized for not mastering German and for frequently speaking in Croatian with his assistant and brother Robert Kovac, goalkeeping coach Toni Tapalovic and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic.
Secondly, the players are reportedly unhappy with the coach's lack of clear attacking concepts, something to which they were accustomed under former coaches Jupp Heynckes y Pep Guardiola. According to Bild, Kovac’s analysis almost always centres on defensive play.
Furthermore, Kovac’s rotational policy has baffled his players, with many of them reportedly puzzled by his decision to consign them to the bench after they had played well in the previous game.
Bayern's poor run
The discontent in dressing room could be a factor in Bayern’s recent performances. They have lost their top spot in the Bundesliga to Borussia Dortmund after drawing with Augsburg and losing to Hertha last week, and on Wednesday, failed to see off Ajax in a 1-1 draw at home in the Champions League.
On Saturday, Bayern play Borussia Monchengladbach – a game in which nothing but a win will help to somewhat ease the crisis.
| Classification | PTS | WM | TM | LM |
|---|
| Upcoming matches |
|---|
