Beckenbauer backs Bayern coach

Club president confident Van Gaal can turn things round

By Ben Collins   Last updated: 15th October 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Beckenbauer backs Bayern coach

Beckenbauer: Van Gaal support

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Bayern Munich president Franz Beckenbauer is confident Louis van Gaal can turn the club's fortunes around and has given the Dutch coach his full backing.

Beckenbauer accepts Jurgen Klinsmann was not the right man for the job and the former Germany coach was fired in April after just 10 months in the Bayern hotseat.

Bayern made a poor start under Klinsmann and ultimately finished two points behind surprise Bundesliga champions Wolfsburg.

The German giants have made an even worse start to the current campaign as they currently lie eighth, eight points adrift of top spot after eight games.

But Beckenbauer believes Van Gaal's experience will soon show with on-field results and he is convinced the former Holland, Ajax and Barcelona boss will be a more successful appointment in the long term.

"He (Klinsmann) was different," Beckenbauer told the Hamburger Morgenpost newspaper.

"For all the many good ideas he brought, these were simply not enough for FC Bayern.

Expert

"Van Gaal is an expert and a teacher of football. So he is quite the opposite of Jurgen Klinsmann.

"We just need to leave Van Gaal in peace and give him faith and then things will work."

Klinsmann was sacked after the 1-0 home defeat by Schalke left Bayern's Bundesliga hopes hanging by a thread.

The club perhaps showed too much patience last season as despite four wins and a draw, Klinsmann's successor Jupp Heynckes was still unable to snatch the title.

With just eight league games played so far, though, Beckenbauer feels time is on Van Gaal's side to drag Bayern back into title contention.

"A new broom just needs a bit of time to sweep through and for the players to understand him," he said.

"I think that he is the right man for FC Bayern. We have made a good choice.

"He has not been able to do everything he wanted so far, but nothing is lost yet.

"I am convinced that when the squad is fully fit again, we will also win our games."