Bayern ordered to improve after Kovac exit

Bayern Munich's stars have been told to knuckle down under interim coach Hansi Flick ahead of their Champions League clash with Olympiakos following Niko Kovac's sacking.

Former Bayern and West Germany defender Andreas Brehme says the Bayern squad "let Kovac down" with a series of lacklustre recent performances that led to the coach's dismissal, while the club's director of sport Hasan Salihamidzic has demanded more effort from his off-form players.

"I now expect a positive development from our players and absolute motivation to achieve our goals for this season," he said.

Group B leaders Bayern host bottom side Olympiakos at the Allianz Arena with a fourth straight Champions League win in their sights after beating the Greek side 3-2 in Athens a fortnight ago.

Bayern already have one foot in the knock-out phase as they currently sit five-points clear of second-placed Tottenham, who they host in December having routed them 7-2 in north London last month.

However, all is not well behind the scenes at the Bavarian giants, who dismissed Kovac on Sunday after winning just three of their last six games in all competitions.

Saturday's embarrassing 5-1 drubbing at Eintracht Frankfurt -- the defending champions' heaviest league defeat for a decade -- did for Kovac, who never enjoyed the full confidence of the club despite winning the league and cup double last season.

- Pressure on Bayern -
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