Bayern finally bring Kovac era to an end. PLUS: Balotelli abuse deserves proper sanctions

Missed some of the action around Europe this weekend? Have no fear: Gab Marcotti is here to catch you up with all the talking points in the latest Monday Musings.

Jump to: Bayern reboot without Kovac | Balotelli abused | Liverpool, Man City slipping? | Roma add to Napoli woes | Andre Gomes' serious injury | Barca slump at Levante | Dortmund fight back | No progress at Man United | Sociedad are for real | De Ligt is Juve's hero | What is Emery doing? | No positives for Real | Leipzig score eight! | Berlin derby drama

Kovac era finally ends at Bayern

The fact that Niko Kovac's future was in doubt after a season during which his team won the Double -- and knowing that had the right candidate been available, Bayern would have replaced him in June -- makes what happened Sunday rather less surprising.

Kovac and Bayern parted ways -- sources close to him say he offered his resignation and they did nothing to persuade him otherwise -- and while it's tempting to point to the 5-1 humiliation they suffered on Saturday at the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt, it goes well beyond that.

This team has struggled both to play well consistently and to develop an kind of identity. When they have won big, it has been often either down to the futility of the opposition or because they simply have far better individuals than the opposition. This is what happens when you're one of the four richest clubs in the world. Plus, of course, this season he's also had the benefit of an out-of-this-world Robert Lewandowski, whose absurd torrid scoring streak continued this weekend: he's up to 20 goals in 16 appearances across all competitions.

That's why you can't simply look at results when judging a manager's work. And the question you should ask isn't "Is this guy hitting his targets?" but rather "Can we get somebody else to do the job better?"

Did Kovac have mitigating factors? Sure. He spent the summer building a certain type of team and then had Philippe Coutinho dropped in the middle of it, two weeks after the start of the season. Coutinho's a great player, sure, but entirely different from the one who had been earmarked for that role. Injuries didn't help either, especially at the back, where he lost Lucas Hernandez and Niklas Sule for the long term. Handling Thomas Mueller and his "managed decline," whether real or imagined, was also something he probably would happily have done without.

Then there's the long shadow of Pep Guardiola, against whom all subsequent Bayern coaches (including Carlo Ancelotti) have been judged. It's a tough standard to live up to and, as often happens, there's a fair amount of rose-tinted spectacles at play here.

Bavarian media make a big deal out of this, how the players supposedly felt Kovac's training sessions and approach were unimaginative and amateurish compared to Guardiola's, though that seems a bit of a cop-out, too: Guardiola left in 2016, which means less than a third of the squad actually worked with him. But hey, it's Bayern. You'll always be benchmarked against their illustrious past (and Guardiola is a part of that). It's not supposed to be easy. It's supposed to be hard, and Kovac simply didn't show that his work was going in the right direction.

Now the focus shifts to his successor. The usual suspects are out there and, on paper, the most illustrious names don't appear a great fit: Arsene Wenger is used to having near-total control, which is a non-starter at Bayern, Max Allegri is supposedly on sabbatical this season (and his football is hardly Guardiola-esque) while Jose Mourinho (come on now ...) is also "available."

Then there's Erik ten Hag, who spent time as a youth coach at Bayern and is a better fit in some ways, but getting him out of Ajax in midseason seems a long shot. Plus, lest we forget, this time 12 months ago there were some in Amsterdam calling for his head.

The other plausible big name is Ralf Rangnick, who has sort of had a long-distance flirtation with Bayern for much of his career and who would, ideologically, match where Bayern want to be. He oversees all the Red Bull clubs right now in a director of football role. Again, you'd be talking about forcing a midseason move, which is never easy, plus you risk running into a Wenger issue: would you accept lack of total control and big personalities like Uli Hoeness in your grill when you're in your sixties?

Bayern have appointed Hans-Dieter Flick as interim boss. He was Jogi Low's longtime assistant with Germany and has the appropriate level of gravitas. He was on Kovac's staff, albeit only since the summer, so he's not necessary tainted either. The best thing Bayern could do right now is leave it in Flick's hands for as long as you can while you find a long-term solution. Which, if results and performances turn around, might end up being Flick himself.

Balotelli abused in Verona. Will proper punishment follow?

It happened again. Ten minutes or so into the second half of Brescia's match away to Verona on Sunday, Mario Balotelli was subjected to monkey noises while he dribbled close to the corner flag. On television and for most in the ground, the abuse was inaudible. Plenty nearby heard it, however, and it's chronicled on video taken from the stands. He reacted by smashing the ball into the stands and looking as if he was going to walk off the pitch.

The whole incident felt familiar and again, we heard the same arguments.

Verona coach Ivan Juric said "It didn't happen, it's lies and s---." (We'll give him the benefit of the doubt that you didn't hear it -- most did not -- but maybe next time, since you're not omniscient, simply say "I didn't hear it" rather than instantly blaming the victim.")

Verona president Maurizio Setti said "Our fan base isn't racist but if it happened, I apologize to him, we'll take action. But we can't screen 20,000 people."

Enough with the "if it happened" crap. The laws are pretty clear. You're responsible for the behaviour of the people to whom you sell tickets. If you don't like it, go find something else on which to spend your money. And because stories like this quickly go global, the counterpunching, via social media and elsewhere, soon followed.

Yes, Balotelli did the right thing by addressing the issues and even scoring a goal. (Brescia ultimately lost 2-1.) But whether or not he scores or plays well is not the "best response" to racist abuse. It's not a response at all. It's a guy doing his job.

If there is a shred of comfort to be taken here, it's that referee Maurizio Mariani did exactly what he was supposed to do. He didn't hear the abuse himself but it was quickly reported to him and he applied the protocol (which, in Serie A, is just two steps rather than three). He suspended the game, he called the players to the middle of the pitch and the loudspeaker announced that if it continued, everybody would walk off and Verona would forfeit the game. It did not happen again.

Too often referees in Serie A have been unwilling to apply the protocol. Which, while not perfect, is the best tool to achieve the immediate goal: ensuring players are not racially abused on the pitch. It's critical that they be supported in this for the simple reason that not every target of abuse has the standing of a Balotelli. And by putting his faith in the protocol he's sending a crucial message: let's trust in this and let's report abuse when it happens because the referees and institutions will back us up.

Now, of course, it's up to the institutions to their part. Legally, responsibility rests with the Italian FA's disciplinary office. That's not encouraging because it means a slow-moving, bureaucratic mess. Given that sanctions are based on the percentage of a particular stand that is involved, it looks unlikely that there will be any partial stadium closure, let alone a full one.

While we wait for them to fix their broken system (or not), it's critical that others step up. The league should exercise its influence over clubs, particularly guys like Juric who spout nonsense. Maybe even take legal action against them for hurting the brand. The FA is rumoured to be working on a plan to install enhanced CCTV, body cameras and drones to identify individuals. That's a start -- though again, nobody is holding their breath -- but it will be meaningless if it's not followed by action.

These are complex issues without easy fixes. Knee-jerk carpetbaggers swooping in with instant burn-it-all-down solutions (and then swooping out) are almost as damaging as those who perpetually misunderstand the issue, not just in Italy but across Europe. You may want to listen to the podcast we did with FARE's Piara Powar, whose organisations studies the subject. . Or you can sit at your keyboard and tap away angrily.

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