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Bayern players annoyed by Kovac’s post-training bike rides

Per a Bild report, “overtime” spent riding bicycles after practice is a sore point among some players.

FC Bayern Muenchen - Training Session
MUNICH, GERMANY - JULY 12: Arjen Robben, Jonas Kehl and goalkeeper Ron-Thorben Hoffmann (L-R) of FC Bayern Muenchen ride bicycles during a training session near the club's Saebener Strasse training ground on July 12, 2018 in Munich, Germany.
FC Bayern Muenchen - Training Session MUNICH, GERMANY - JULY 12: Arjen Robben, Jonas Kehl and goalkeeper Ron-Thorben Hoffmann (L-R) of FC Bayern Muenchen ride bicycles during a training session near the club’s Saebener Strasse training ground on July 12, 2018 in Munich, Germany.
(Photo by Alexandra Beier/Bongarts/Getty Images)

The mood at Bayern Munich has grown increasingly tense after four consecutive matches without a win. The team’s run of poor form has seen them drop to sixth place in the Bundesliga table and left many questioning whether or not Niko Kovac has what it takes to turn their fortunes around and get them back on track.

To make matters slightly worse, per a report by Bild, (via SportBild), some of the players in the squad are frustrated with Kovac’s mandatory 20-minute bike rides after training sessions. The low-intensity bike rides are utilized for regenerative purposes, and Kovac feels that they help the players relieve and control their stress levels — although at this point it seems to be a source of stress of a different kind.

Sandro Wagner, Sven Ulreich, and Javi Martinez worked with fitness coach Holger Broich on the bikes this past Friday, but SportBild did not reveal whether any of the three were among those complaining. Apparently Kovac’s former players at Eintracht Frankfurt also joked about their dislike of the bike rides, asking, “What, are we training for the Tour de France?” Be that as it may, Eintracht’s results under Kovac were potentially a sufficient answer.

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