FC Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich legend Bastian Schweinsteiger said he can envision Jose Mourinho managing in Germany amid links with the vacant manager's role at the club.

Mourinho has been touted as one of several potential replacements for Niko Kovac, who was sacked on Sunday after Bayern were thrashed 5-1 by Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.

Schweinsteiger told Bild (h/t Goal's James Westwood):

"I can imagine Mourinho in Germany.

"I remember he was always asking me about Bayern and the Bundesliga. During our away games, there was always Bundesliga on TV.

"He really knew every single player, even from the smaller teams. He was also learning German.

"He has not worked in the Bundesliga, so I can well imagine that he would be tempted by a commitment in Germany."

Saturday's defeat left Bayern fourth in the Bundesliga, four points behind leaders Borussia Monchengladbach having won just five of their 10 matches.

Kovac guided Bayern to their seventh consecutive Bundesliga title last season and the DFB-Pokal. However, the manager was under pressure throughout the campaign, having been nine points behind Borussia Dortmund at one stage.

The Bavarians eventually finished the season on 78 points, two ahead of Dortmund. It was their lowest points total and the smallest winning margin in their seven-year run of titles.

Mourinho is one of several top coaches out of work:

They’re all available, @FCBayernEN… 🍻 pic.twitter.com/S1SAHeTK60

— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 3, 2019

Football journalist Carl Anka suggested the Special One would not be a good fit at the Allianz Arena, but writer Kaustubh Pandey could see it being a success:

That's not to say Bayern want Jose. Club lineage and Mourinho's methods would make it a combustible mix that a terrible part of me would want to see.

— Carl Anka (@Ankaman616) November 3, 2019

The club needs another summer transfer window.

They need a generational change- like Real Madrid do. This transition is normal. They get Mourinho, tide over transition and they're good to go in every competition.

— Kaustubh Pandey (@Kaus_Pandey17) November 3, 2019

Schweinsteiger worked with Mourinho at Manchester United in the 2016-17 season, although he made just four appearances under him before joining Chicago Fire.

The 56-year-old has won eight top-flight league titles in Portugal, England, Italy and Spain, as well as 13 other domestic honours. In Europe, he has won two UEFA Champions League titles, the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Europa League.

Just one of those league titles has come since 2012, though—his final Premier League win with Chelsea in 2014-15.

Although he won three pieces of silverware and finished second in 2016-17—the only time United have collected more than 70 points since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013—his time at Old Trafford was characterised by negativity on and off the pitch.

He was eventually sacked in December last year after a poor start to last season, in a similar parallel to the end of his Chelsea career in 2015-16.

Mourinho is a serial winner, so in that sense, he could fit in at Bayern, but it would not be a surprise if his recent history were a turn-off to the club.  

Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski will reportedly undergo minor surgery on a groin issue during the international break.

According to German outlet Kicker (h/t Onefootball's Lewis Ambrose), the procedure will alleviate pain the Pole has been feeling in his groin for some time, but it is not expected to keep him out of club action.

The operation has a recovery period of around 10 days, but the international break brings a 14-day gap between Bayern's clash with Borussia Dortmund on November 10 and their game with Fortuna Dusseldorf on November 23.

Poland have already qualified for UEFA Euro 2020, so it's of little consequence to them if he's absent for their games with Israel and Slovenia during the break.

Bayern can ill afford for Lewandowski to miss any time at present, though.

The Bavarian outfit sacked Niko Kovac on Sunday after they lost 5-1 to Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.

Although it's tight at the top of the table in the Bundesliga, they're four points off the lead before their crucial meeting with Dortmund:

Here's how things stand in the table with ten games played. pic.twitter.com/4i0zxZzcIS

— FC Bayern (@FCBayernEN) November 4, 2019

Lewandowski's form has been the consistent highlight in an otherwise mediocre start to the campaign for the German giants.

DAZN's Cristian Nyari put the 31-year-old's sensational form in perspective:

Lewandowski is a living legend.

-Scores in 10 straight #Bundesliga games now, a league record
-20 goals in 16 this season, more than any other player in the top 5 leagues

— Cristian Nyari (@Cnyari) November 2, 2019

He continued his remarkable run of finding the net in every Bundesliga match this season against Frankfurt with a superb effort (U.S. only):

.@FCBayernUS pull one back! 💪

Lewandowski goes on a wonderful solo run and scores in his 10th straight @Bundesliga_EN game. 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/UInkMh1Bng

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) November 2, 2019

The striker's numbers this season are unrivalled, and in recent years, only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been more prolific than him at the top level, as he's netted at least 40 goals in each of the last four full campaigns.

Lewandowski has evidently been able to continue performing while carrying this injury, but it will be good for Bayern to get the issue resolved.

If the club are to win their eighth consecutive Bundesliga title, they'll need Lewandowski fit and still able to fire on all cylinders.  

Niko Kovac has left Bayern Munich after the Bundesliga champions were thrashed 5-1 at Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.

Bayern confirmed the decision on Sunday:

FC Bayern parts ways with Niko Kovac. pic.twitter.com/xl0sjaZAqC

— FC Bayern (@FCBayernEN) November 3, 2019

Kovac, 48, took over at Bayern ahead of the 2018-19 season and led them to a domestic double in his debut campaign in charge.

In Europe, though, he had less success. The German giants were knocked out of the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League by Liverpool at the last-16 stage.

Saturday's crushing defeat against Kovac's former club left Bayern sitting fourth in the Bundesliga after 10 games of the new season, four points back from leaders Borussia Monchengladbach:

Gladbach build on their lead, but things remain tight for the top 10 🔢 pic.twitter.com/45HBxLqKOI

— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) November 3, 2019

The Frankfurt defeat was clearly the final straw for the Bayern hierarchy.

Despite winning silverware at the Allianz Arena, Kovac never seemed like an ideal fit at the club:

OFFICIAL: Bayern Munich have sacked Niko Kovac.

Job always seemed a step too soon for him and the fans never really wanted him or warmed to him. #FCBayern https://t.co/p115qmfr0n

— Ronan Murphy (@swearimnotpaul) November 3, 2019

Saw a lot of Bayern last year under Kovac and barring a few big wins (Dortmund hammering springs to mind) the fit never seemed right. Was lucky to last this long, for me. Interested to see who they would go for next. Can’t see them going for Mourinho, Poch though?

— Ed Malyon (@eaamalyon) November 3, 2019

Former Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri has been tipped as Kovac's potential successor, per Bild (h/t Football Italia).

Tottenham Hotspur's Mauricio Pochettino and Ajax's Erik ten Hag have also been linked, per Corriere dello Sport (h/t Perform via AS).

Bayern are back in action on Wednesday when they meet Olympiacos in the Champions League. 

Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has expressed regret about committing tax evasion, which led to a prison sentence in 2014, but he believes supporters know he has always given everything for the club.

Hoeness will step down from Bayern on November 15 and has reflected on his time at the club.

He told Bayern's official magazine, 51, (h/t Goal's Stephen Crawford):

"When I look out the window in the morning, I'm happy with my 49 years at Bayern. I have not regretted a single day and I owe everything to this club—not even as an employee but I've always felt like the number one fan. I feel nothing but gratitude.

"I can only smile about [criticism]. I think the fans know that, deep down, I have always ripped open my ass and given everything for them."

Aside from a loan spell at Nurnberg, Hoeness spent his entire senior footballing career at Bayern when he signed for them in 1970.

He scored 108 goals in 329 appearances for the club, winning three Bundesliga titles, three European Cups and the DFB-Pokal.

After injury cut short his career in 1979 when he was just 27, he became the club's general manager and later deputy chairman. He was elected president in 2009. 

He has continued to fight in the Bavarians' corner, even if doing so has required some outlandish statements:

Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness is threatening the German national team if Marc-Andre ter Stegen starts ahead of Manuel Neuer 👀 pic.twitter.com/cHSqvmpjiS

— B/R Football (@brfootball) September 25, 2019

However, football writer Raphael Honigstein believes the 67-year-old's authority has diminished in recent years, as he said on the Euro Leagues podcast:

🇩🇪 Manuel Neuer or Marc-André ter Stegen as Germany's no.1? 👐

Speaking on the Euro Leagues podcast, @honigstein discusses Uli Hoeness' controversial comments on Neuer and ter Stegen as well as who should be Germany's no.1.

Listen 👇
📲⚽️: https://t.co/zcTUMSPAb5#bbcfootball pic.twitter.com/OC5Gxo6hBC

— BBC 5 Live Sport (@5liveSport) September 27, 2019

Hoeness was convicted on seven counts of tax evasion in 2014 and he was imprisoned from June that year until February 2016. He was elected president again that November after running unopposed for the position.

"My biggest mistake was my taxation," he added. "I deeply regret it and criticism of it is highly justified."

Despite his imprisonment, the German retained the support of many of the club's fans. "Some of the letters I got in prison were so touching that I cried like a baby in my cell," he said.

In the years since he was first elected president, the team have won eight Bundesliga titles, five DFB-Pokals and the UEFA Champions League once, having reached three finals.  

Bayern Munich manager Niko Kovac hit out at his players following their DFB-Pokal win over Bochum on Tuesday, questioning their "attitude." 

Bayern fell behind against the second-tier outfit after an own goal from Alphonso Davies, and for long spells it looked as though they were set to exit the competition. However, Serge Gnabry equalised in the 83rd minute before Armel Bella-Kotchap was sent off for the hosts and Thomas Muller scored a winner with 89 minutes on the clock.

Despite the dramatic win, Kovac was far from happy with his players and criticised their mindset for the match, per James Willoughby of Goal:

"It was all wrong for 60, 70 minutes. The fact that we played so many bad passes, in my opinion, has something to do with the attitude...it has nothing to do with tactics. It has to do with the attitude. There were too many players who played bad passes.

"... After Philippe Coutinho and Thomas Muller came on, things improved. And in the end we got that little bit of luck against Bochum, who really played so well."

Bochum are only off the bottom of the second tier in Germany on goal difference, but they were able to match Bayern for long spells. In the end, Kovac needed to call on Coutinho, Muller and star striker Robert Lewandowski from the bench.

Per OptaFranz, despite the poor performance, it was a landmark win for Bayern in the cup competition:

32 - @FCBayernEN have progressed in their last 32 DFB Pokal away games, a record in the competition. Wanderlust. #BOCFCB #FCBPokal pic.twitter.com/jm5P0aYW0D

— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) October 29, 2019

After criticising his players following the game, Kovac was also asked about who he thought the best supporters in Germany were, and he didn't choose the Bayern fans:

Niko Kovac claims Eintracht Frankfurt have the best fans in the Bundesliga.

That'll go down well with Bayern Munich's fans who already want #KovacOut 🤦‍♂️ https://t.co/B2QknOZGdx

— Ronan Murphy (@swearimnotpaul) October 29, 2019

The campaign has been one of inconsistency for the Munich giants so far.

In the Bundesliga, they sit in second place in the table, having battled to an unconvincing 2-1 win over Union Berlin in their most recent top-flight encounter. They are a point behind leaders Borussia Monchengladbach after nine matches.

Overall, Bayern have been dependent on Lewandowski this season, and the Poland international has been sensational in front of goal. Without him at the point of the attack for the first half on Tuesday, the side struggled.

Per the Bayern Twitter account, Lewandowski has had a record-breaking start to the season:

Robert 'Record Breaker' Lewandowski 💥⚽@lewy_official #LewanGOALski pic.twitter.com/2QAGxDdWPG

— FC Bayern (@FCBayernEN) October 29, 2019

Kovac will hope the stinging words will trigger a response from his players. After all, he knows they are capable of playing excellent football, as was the case earlier in the campaign when they were 7-2 winners over Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Champions League.

On Saturday, it's a trip to Frankfurt in the Bundesliga for Bayern, where you sense Kovac and the toiling champions will have a fiery reception waiting for them.

Bayern Munich have shut down the latest round of speculation involving forward Thomas Muller, making it clear there are no plans to let anyone leave in January.

In response to a question about a possible Muller exit, sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic told Sky Sports (h/t Goal) the makeup of the squad and injury concerns won't allow for departures: "We have two long-term injuries, and you're trying to convince us that we're giving someone up. This is a novel you write all the time. We are not thinking about the players we should give up but looking to bring the team back to running again and playing stable football."

The comments came after this report from SportBild's Christian Falk, regarding Manchester United's interest in Muller:

According to our Information @ManUtd is interested in a Transfer of @esmuellert_ in Winter @SPORTBILD @FCBayern

— Christian Falk (@cfbayern) October 24, 2019

Speculation has been rampant since Muller suggested he could leave the club if his playing time didn't increase earlier this month. But chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told Welt am Sonntag (h/t Goal's Michael Plant) a January switch is not likely.

Since he made the complaint, the 30-year-old has seen an increase in minutes. He started Saturday's 2-1 win over Union Berlin, as well as the midweek win over Olympiacos in the UEFA Champions League.

Muller has spent his entire professional career in Bavaria, winning an incredible eight Bundesliga titles and the 2012-13 Champions League. He's fast closing in on 500 career appearances for the club and has scored over 180 goals.

His rare playing style as a loose forward, darting in and out of space in the attacking third, makes him a tricky player to fit into a system. Manager Niko Kovac hasn't fully figured it out yet, often opting for a more conventional attacking midfielder in loanee Philippe Coutinho instead.

Earlier this month, Kovac suggested Muller would not regain his spot in the team, per Raphael Honigstein:

Niko Kovac looked like he was handling the gentle marginalisation of Thomas Muller quite nicely at Bayern, but then he opened his mouth and started talking about it. @honigstein has the latest.
Subscribe to the podcast --> https://t.co/WTxKz160iH pic.twitter.com/cMRm4WXvYr

— The Totally Football Show (@TheTotallyShow) October 8, 2019

The manager appears to have changed his mind since then, however, and found a way to fit both Muller and Coutinho into his team against Union.

Should Muller leave, the Manchester Evening News believes a switch to Old Trafford would make sense:

United have been linked with Bayern's Thomas Muller and the move could make a huge amount of sense #mufc https://t.co/5AdpOmUgOC pic.twitter.com/rKtGaKFirs

— Man United News (@ManUtdMEN) October 26, 2019

United lack veteran leadership in the attacking third following the sales of Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez to Inter Milan. The likes of Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and Anthony Martial are all talents for the future who could benefit greatly from Muller's guidance.    

Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski scored in his ninth straight match to start the Bundesliga season on Saturday, breaking the record he previously shared with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the 2-1 win over Union Berlin:

Unstoppable 💥 pic.twitter.com/hDLvOQmpGl

— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) October 26, 2019

He also scored in his 13th straight match for the Bavarians across all competitions:

Robert Lewandowski scores in his 13th straight game for Bayern ⚡ pic.twitter.com/a4e0aGp7ut

— B/R Football (@brfootball) October 26, 2019

The 31-year-old doubled Bayern's lead at home on Saturday after Benjamin Pavard had opened the scoring. Sebastian Polter pulled one back for Union from the penalty spot, but the defending Bundesliga champions held on for the win.

With the victory, Bayern moved into the Bundesliga lead, one point ahead of Freiburg.

Lewandowski's remarkable consistency is nothing new:

Most goals scored in Europe's top five leagues in 2019:

🇵🇱 Robert Lewandowski (25)
🇦🇷 Lionel Messi (23)
🇫🇷 Kylian Mbappe (22)
🇫🇷 Karim Benzema (21)
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Jamie Vardy (21)

🤜🤛 pic.twitter.com/bOYlvg4WtG

— Squawka (@Squawka) October 26, 2019

The former Borussia Dortmund man has played for Bayern since 2014, and he became the Bundesliga's all-time top scorer in Bavaria.

According to Transfermarkt.com, he has scored 210 career goals for Bayern in all competitions after smashing 103 goals for BVB.

His strong start to the season has been sorely needed for Bayern, who have been far from their best as a team. With the exception of the Pole, not a single player has scored more than two goals in the Bundesliga so far, and they have already dropped points in four of nine matches.

Just four points separate leaders Bayern from 10th-placed Hoffenheim in what has been the most thrilling start to a Bundesliga season in years.  

Former Bayern Munich midfielder Dietmar Hamann has been unimpressed with Philippe Coutinho's start to life at the club.

Coutinho joined Bayern in the summer on a season-long loan, and the German club have the option to make his stay permanent for €120 million.

The 46-year-old Hamann, who spent the bulk of his career at Bayern and Coutinho's former club, Liverpool, told Sport Bild (h/t Goal's James Westwood):

"For me, he is a stranger in the team. I cannot remember a good situation [he's produced] in attack.

"If you have such a player in the team and he does not show any special moments, then, of course, you get problems because in the defence he only counts as half a player.

"He has 30 or 35 games left so he has to start sometime [to show good performances]. He is still on loan from Barca until the end of the season."

Coutinho had a quiet game on Tuesday in Bayern's 3-2 UEFA Champions League win over Olympiacos, but Bayern boss Niko Kovac said he was "very satisfied" with the Brazilian's showing and that he is lacking "a little bit of luck," per Westwood.

The 27-year-old was sent out on loan after a difficult 18-month spell at Barcelona following his £142 million move from Liverpool.

While it's early days for Coutinho at the Allianz Arena, Hamann's criticism of his performances is perhaps somewhat harsh.

The midfielder may not have hit top form yet, but he has contributed two goals and four assists in 10 appearances for the club.

The Brazil international has been creating plenty of opportunities for his team-mates:

Philippe Coutinho is a man reborn at @FCBayern 🙌

Got a #UCL question? Get it answered by Duncan Alexander on @NissanFootball tonight! #AskNissan! pic.twitter.com/GZgyd9NhEw

— GOAL (@goal) October 22, 2019

Dominic King of the Daily Mail enjoyed his assist to Robert Lewandowski in Bayern's 7-2 demolition of Tottenham Hotspur three weeks ago:

Philippe Countino looked like Philippe Coutinho again last night. The pass for Lewandowski's second was out of this world...

— Dominic King (@DominicKing_DM) October 2, 2019

He was impressing in September, too, as his performances saw him nominated for the Bundesliga's Player of the Month award.

Football writer Michael Caley praised him after he scored and assisted in a 3-2 win over Paderborn:

https://twitter.com/MC_of_A/status/1177942381854941185

Given how expensive it will be to make his stay in Germany permanent, Coutinho will need to enjoy a sensational season to justify Bayern exercising their option to buy him.

He seems to have settled in better than he did at the Camp Nou, though, and his stronger performances have reflected that.

He's yet to hit the same heights he did at Anfield, but if he can do so, he can help Bayern improve on their third-place position in the Bundesliga as well as enhance their prospects of winning the Champions League.

Bayern Munich sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic has said he expects defender Lucas Hernandez to be out "for a long time" after the injury he picked up on Tuesday in the UEFA Champions League.

The German champions were 3-2 winners on the night against Olympiacos, although the victory came at a cost, as the France international couldn't finish the game because of an ankle issue.

Salihamidzic said it's likely the team will be without their record signing for a while. "He will be out for a long time," he told Sport1 (h/t Goal.com, via Yahoo Sport). "Several weeks."

Manager Niko Kovac provided further details on Hernandez's condition: "Hernandez has problems with his ankle. We have to see whether the ligament was also affected. He has severe pain on the inside of his ankle; that's why we had to take him out. It's very frustrating."

Christian Falk of Sport Bild also reported that Hernandez is poised to spend some time on the sidelines:

Update @LucasHernandez: The ankle injury is worse. he will be out for a few weeks

— Christian Falk (@cfbayern) October 22, 2019

Bayern have endured some poor fortune when it comes to injuries of late, with a number of defensive players suffering from issues.

It was confirmed earlier this week that they may be without star centre-back Niklas Sule for the remainder of the campaign after he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in Saturday's Bundesliga draw with Augsburg.

Here is the moment Sule's season came to a premature end:

Niklas Süle's injury looks pretty painful 🤕 pic.twitter.com/fblb8dwTt2

— DW Sports (@dw_sports) October 21, 2019

In addition, on Tuesday, Kovac also had to bring off Javi Martinez, who is able to drop into a centre-back position when required. Per the initial report, the manager said the Spaniard "had a muscular problem" and they "didn't want to take any risks."

Prior to Hernandez's injury on Tuesday, German football writer Jonathan Harding summed up the issues Bayern have at the back:

https://twitter.com/JonBloggs66/status/1185904419713507328

Following the injury to Sule, there was naturally concern when Hernandez went down against Olympiacos, and there were fears he'd suffered an injury of comparable severity.

While Salihamidzic has said he will be absent for a "long time," at this early stage it will give Bayern supporters some small comfort that the sporting director is talking about weeks out of the team instead of months.

Hernandez moved to Bayern from Atletico Madrid in the summer and is regarded as one of the best young defenders in European football. Kovac faces a challenge setting up his team without these key defensive cogs in the coming weeks, starting with Saturday's showdown against Union Berlin.

Bayern Munich defender Niklas Sule can forget about representing Germany at UEFA Euro 2020 after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury, according to club president Uli Hoeness.

Sule was forced off in the 12th minute of Bayern's 2-2 Bundesliga draw against Augsburg on Saturday, and the club later confirmed he suffered a serious knee injury requiring surgery:

🤕 Sadly, Niklas #Süle did indeed suffer an ACL tear in his left knee yesterday and will undergo surgery later today.

Get well soon, Niklas 🙏 pic.twitter.com/1y8S0nM8Jg

— FC Bayern (@FCBayernEN) October 20, 2019

It was always likely to leave him sidelined for a lengthy spell, and Hoeness has now said he will not be able to return for next summer's major international tournament, per MailOnline's Jordan Seward: "He can forget the Euros. The season is over for him."

It is a big blow for both Bayern and Germany.

Sule has started all eight of Bayern's Bundesliga games so far this season, and manager Niko Kovac will now have to rely on Jerome Boateng, Lucas Hernandez and Benjamin Pavard in the centre-back role.

Both Hernandez and Pavard prefer to play at full-back, but Hoeness confirmed they will not enter the January transfer market to replace Sule, per Seward. It will be a big test, and Bayern's decision to let Mats Hummels return to Borussia Dortmund in the summer could come under scrutiny.

As for Germany, Sule has 24 senior international caps and started both their recent fixtures in the international break against Estonia and Argentina. He was variously partnered by 23-year-old Robin Koch and an out-of-position Emre Can in those internationals:

OFFICIAL: Emre Can is not a centre-back 🤦‍♂️ #ESTGER

— Ronan Murphy (@swearimnotpaul) October 13, 2019

Earlier this year, Germany manager Joachim Low announced Thomas Muller, Boateng and Hummels were no longer in his plans. After Sule's injury, he may have to rethink that position, as Boateng and Hummels could be needed to fill in at centre-back.