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Bundesliga

Bayern: Hoeness vows to defend under-fire Kovac "until the end"

Niko Kovac is under pressure to turn around Bayern Munich's form after four games without a win and has received the backing of the Bavarian giants.

Update:
Bayern: Hoeness vows to defend under-fire Kovac "until the end"
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Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness insists he fully supports coach Niko Kovac despite their recent poor form.

A 3-0 defeat at home to Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday extended Bayern's winless run to four games across all competitions and leaves them sixth in the Bundesliga, four points behind leaders Borussia Dortmund.

Kovac has admitted he feels under pressure to turn around their fortunes quickly, with Carlo Ancelotti having been sacked as early as September 28 last year following an unconvincing start to the season.

Hoeness, however, has made it clear he is backing Kovac to come through the rough patch.

"I will defend Niko Kovac until the end," he told Kicker. "We are completely calm."

Earlier, Hoeness had told Suddeutsche Zeitung: "I clearly stand behind him, no matter what'll happen in the next weeks."

Former Bayern midfielder Dietmar Hamann is deeply concerned by the attitude among the players but agrees Kovac should not be held responsible.

"Niko Kovac is being taken apart, put under fire for something that he can't help at all," he told TZ.

"There are almost exclusively very young or very old players. I think it's wrong to blame the coach for that now. I hope they stick with Kovac.

"This team doesn't fit together in terms of character. Some players are putting their own interest over that of the team. I can imagine that some players have gone to see the bosses. These players always find excuses and alibis. These are very, very bad times."