Kovac on Tuchel: "Knows exactly how Thomas feels"

Former Bayern coach Niko Kovac feels for current Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel. The 50-year-old will leave the German soccer champions after this season. Kovac himself had to leave Bayern in November 2019, just a few months after winning the championship and DFB Cup. He has been coaching VfL Wolfsburg since 2022.

"I can tell you that I know exactly how Thomas feels," Kovac said on Friday at the press conference for Wolfsburg's Bundesliga match at Eintracht Frankfurt (Sunday, 3.30 pm/DAZN). "But I'm not going to comment on that. I have my opinion on it. But I'll keep it to myself."

Kovac instead praised Wolfsburg's sporting director Marcel Schäfer, who is sticking by him despite a disappointing season so far. "Of course the results and the position in the table aren't right. But as a former player, Marcel perhaps approaches things differently than one or two others," said Kovac. He does not allow himself to be guided by external factors. "Because that's often the problem: that those who are in a position to make decisions are subject to pressure from outside," said Kovac. Schäfer's behavior, on the other hand, showed "strength of character and presence".

In general, and thus also referring to his experiences in Munich, Kovac said: "A coach is only as strong as he is made from above. If a coach is weakened from above, it's easier for any player to wriggle through."