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Bayern Munich boss Niko Kovac backed by president Uli Hoeness amid doubts over future

Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has said he will defend coach Niko Kovac "to the blood" after the champions dropped to sixth place following a 3-0 home defeat to Borussia Monchengladbach.

Kovac won his first seven matches in charge, but a run of four games without a victory and just two goals against Augsburg, Hertha Berlin, Ajax and Borussia Monchengladbach has left him under pressure.

Speaking after the defeat to Gladbach, Kovac said he was "not the one to answer questions" on his future.

But a little over a year after Carlo Ancelotti was sacked after a run of 13 points from the first six league games of last season, Hoeness backed Kovac.

"I will defend Niko Kovac to the blood," the president said. "It's all totally calm here."

Suddeutsche Zeitung reported him as saying that Bayern would back Kovac "no matter what happens in the coming weeks."

The champions recorded just three shots on target on Saturday, and Germany international Joshua Kimmich told reporters: "It's not like we wasted that many chances -- we simply didn't have any.

"I don't think the defence is our problem. Sure, every shot finds the back of the net right now and we must keep a clean sheet again, but usually as Bayern we must score one, two goals."

Kimmich added that he had been unhappy with Gladbach's reaction to their victory, saying: "They can talk after a 3-0, but when we beat the s--- out of them they didn't say anything. But hey, it's nice the others have a bit of confidence now."

Bayern Munich travel to Wolfsburg, who are without a win in five games, after the international break, and then face AEK Athens in the Champions League before a match against mid-table Mainz.