RB Leipzig coach Ralf Rangnick defends Bayern Munich counterpart Niko Kovač

As a remarkable season comes to an end, the Bayern Munich front office remains unsure as to whether they want Niko Kovač on the sidelines next season. While many players including Leon Goretzka and Niklas Süle have offered their support for the coach and many fans have made it clear that they want Kovač to stay, the coach’s future remains in severe doubt.

Recently, in an interview given to Kicker, RB Leipzig coach Ralf Rangnick defended the Croat and expressed his misgivings about the speculation surrounding Kovač’s future: (via Kicker)

I consider it absolutely disrespectful when in the case of a coach who is finishing his first year there and who previously worked very successfully at Eintracht Frankfurt, and who now has a chance for two titles people are speculating whether he’ll stay at all or be replaced by someone else.

The Bavarians hope to grab their second piece of silverware on Saturday as they face Leipzig in the DFB Pokal final, and Rangnick is expecting a well-built, all-powerful Bayern team to rise to the challenge. He said,

They have shown both their faces in the last few weeks. We have to presume that, against us, as a so-called upstart, they’ll try to make the power relations clear.

The last time Bayern came face-to-face with Die Roten Bullen, things didn’t end well for either side. Rangnick claims he knows what to expect when facing Bayern and is prepared for what’s coming:

I don’t think that the Pokal final from last year reveals much. It’s obvious that you have to play courageously when you want to win against Bayern. We’ve already shown that we can do that.

The last week of the season is here and there’s only one thing for the team to focus on — the domestic double. While Bayern have won the Bundesliga regularly, the Pokal has remained elusive in recent years. Saturday’s match is a big platform for the coach to earn more confidence from the front office. Hopefully, Kovac the Pokal specialist won’t disappoint.