MUNICH: Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge on Wednesday backed his club’s under-fire coach Louis van Gaal by insisting the extrovert Dutchman is exactly what the German giants need.
It has been a difficult few weeks for Bayern after captain Mark van Bommel quit to join AC Milan last week, just after Bayern president Uli Hoeness re-ignited his feud with van Gaal when he questioned the Dutchman’s methods.
Hoeness complained last October that van Gaal is difficult to work with.
But with Bayern third in the Bundesliga, Rummenigge has gone into bat for the Dutchman.
“He is exactly what we want,” Rummenigge told German magazine Sport Bild.
“You can’t reproach him, he has our trust.
“He’s not always a fun guy, or fun to deal with.
“His extreme honesty and openness can lead to friction, but he is an excellent football teacher and coach.”
Van Gaal has a contract at Bayern until June 2012, but the Dutchman has enemies within the game.
Former Bayern striker Luca Toni and defender Lucio both left Munich shortly after van Gaal’s arrival in June 2009 to play for Italian sides.
“Van Gaal hurt me more than anyone else in football,” said ex-Bayern captain Lucio who won the Champions League title with Inter Milan last season.
“He erased my positive memories of winning the title with Bayern in an instant.”
Toni was just as scathing.
“The players want to have a dialogue with their coach, they want to be motivated by him,” said former top scorer Toni, who now plays for Juventus.
“That doesn’t happen with van Gaal or (ex-Bayern coach Felix) Magath.”
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