Bayern Munich coach Niko Kovac blamed individual mistakes for the 3-0 home defeat to Borussia Monchengladbach which left him under increasing pressure going into the international break.
Bayern’s winless run extended to four matches with the worst result of the lot as they failed to make their dominance in possession count and were instead hit on the break.
Alassane Plea and Lars Stindl scored twice in the space of seven minutes to cancel out any optimism brought about by a decent opening spell from Bayern, and Patrick Herrmann added the final nail two minutes from time.
“We started the game well in the opening 10 minutes and then made too many individual mistakes and those goals happen,” Kovac said at the post-match press conference. “Three shots, three goals conceded.”
Plea’s was a fine goal involving a neat one two with Jonas Hofmann but Lindl’s strike began with sloppy play from Bayern. First Manuel Neuer hastily took a goal-kick to Thiago Alcantara, whose first touch allowed Hofmann to nick the ball off him and tee up Stindl.
Kovac declined to reveal what he had told his players after the match, but the Croatian insisted there was no need to panic, even if the disappointing set of results will now gnaw at him and his players over the international break.
“I said a few words to the team, but that should stay inside,” he said. “Sometimes you have good times, sometimes you have bad times. Everybody has tried at the moment, but we cannot bring it together on the pitch.
“Congratulations to Borussia. The goals in the first half have taken away our assurance and we have to live with the defeat.”
There was further bad news for Bayern early in the second half when David Alaba went off with an apparent hamstring injury, although Kovac said it was too early to know the extent of the problem.
“I talked briefly with David,” he said. “It may be a hamstring, but we have to wait for the examinations.”
While Bayern slipped to fifth, the win sent Gladbach up to second place, three points behind early pace-setters Borussia Dortmund.
“It was a very good team effort and we defended well,” coach Dieter Hecking said. “Bayern could only come up with half-chances so, when you have been able to go 2-0 up so early, that of course plays into your hands.
“We have been able to do that brilliantly today.”
