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Interim Bayern
Munich coach Andries Jonker could not have wished for a more
challenging start as the German champions battle to rescue a barren
season with a Champions League spot for next season.

The 48-year-old
Jonker, Louis van Gaal’s assistant and his successor after he was
sacked on Sunday following a draw at Nuremberg which relegated them to
fourth in the league, must launch a five-game winning burst starting
against second-placed Bayer Leverkusen on the weekend.

In a twist of fate,
Leverkusen, who could scupper Bayern’s hopes of clinching a third place
finish that would put them into Champions League qualification, are
coached by Jupp Heynckes, already appointed as new Bayern coach for
next season.

With next year’s
Champions League final to be staged in Munich at their own Allianz
Arena, it would be a catastrophe for Bayern if they missed out on
Europe’s top club competition.

“I expect an
explosion against Leverkusen. I expect that the players will finally
get rid of that straitjacket they have been wearing in the past
months,” said club president Uli Hoeness after announcing Jonker as van
Gaal’s immediate successor.

Perfect replacement

Jonker is seen as
the perfect fire-fighting choice with Bayern bosses saying he knew how
the club operated and enjoyed the players’ trust, something his
predecessor had long lost.

“That’s just fairy
tales that the players were behind (Van Gaal). You could see that a
couple of our players’ game was dictated by pure fear,” said Hoeness.

The softly spoken
Dutchman, who was also flamboyant Van Gaal’s assistant at Barcelona,
will most likely reappoint keeper Joerg Butt as his number one after
van Gaal had surprisingly opted to give the start to youngster Thomas
Kraft midway through the season despite the club board’s vocal
objections.

The 36-year-old’s
experience is seen as crucial in the final phase of the league, with
Bayern on 52 points, one behind Hanover 96 and nine off Leverkusen.
Borussia Dortmund lead on 66.

“We wanted a man
who knows the conditions here, who knows what needs to be changed,”
said club CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, explaining the club’s choice to
appoint Jonker.

“He said that he will keep all the good things but also change what
needs to be changed. I think Andries Jonker has a very clear plan.”