Nobody would have thought Hansi Flick, the former assistant of Joachim Low while his previous role as the manager for a senior team dates back to 2005, could lead Bayern Munich to a treble, let alone the Bavarians.
Hansi Flick – Appointment as Bayern Munich Manager
Prior to Flick’s arrival as the man-in-charge, Bayern was apparently in tatters under Niko Kovac. Although the Bavarians were able to win the domestic double (Bundesliga and DFB Pokal) in first season, his managing style was largely criticised, finally leading to his departure in midway of second season, last November after a humiliating defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt.
With managers like Erik ten Hag and Mauricio Pochettino expected to fill the vacant role, Bayern went with Kovac’s assistant Flick as a makeshift option. The decision later paid huge dividends as Bayern became a force to reckon with under Flick.
Hugely Successful Bayern Season
The 55-year-old led the Bavarians to a continental treble for the second time in the club’s history. Deploying an attacking brand of football with concepts of positional play, Flick reminded of Pep Guardiola.
Flick came into fore following Bayern’s successful run in the Champions League last term, beating PSG in the finals. Flick can also brag that the highest point of his career would be defeating Barcelona in the quarter-finals emphatically. An 8-2 win. Nobody had the privilege to decimate the La Liga giants in such a manner until Flick decided to own the record.
Robert Lewandowski’s statement before the Barcelona clash:
“Before the game, we knew we would beat Barcelona,” he told Onet.
“Some even said it would be 5-1, but 8-2 is a different result.”
“Before the game against Barcelona, [Serge] Gnabry and [Joshua] Kimmich did not ask me if we would win the match, but if we would win the Champions League. I answered yes.”
It shows the level of confidence Flick has fixated in the players of Bayern and no wonder they ended up as the European champions.
Records and Comparison with predecessors
Above all, the way Flick led his side to success is worth noting. Suffering only one defeat in his tenure as the manager – 33 wins, 1 defeat and 2 draws – the former German assistant became the first manager in Bavarians history to secure a winning percentage of more than 90.
His predecessors Pep Guardiola and Jupp Heynckes have had a percentage of 75 and 76 respectively. Although it is too early to draw a comparison with both of them, Flick can become the best manager of the Bavarians.
Flick becomes the second manager after Heynckes to lead Bayern to a continental treble and fourth in the list of oldest managers to lift the Champions League title.
Flick is also the first manager in history to win all the matches in the Champions League – 11 wins, 0 draws, defeats.
His success has earned him a contract until 2023 and it looks like Bayern have found their next Pep Guardiola but one who can win the Champions League.
