Another season, another Meisterschale for FC Bayern Munich as the Bavarian side edged out a narrow 1-0 victory over a resilient SV Werder Bremen. While star man Robert Lewandowski was the effectuator, calmly controlling the ball from Jerome Boateng and slotting it past Bremen keeper Jiří Pavlenka notching his Bundesliga goal tally up to 31 goals for the season, the defensive aptitude on display from Bayern on the night was instrumental in holding Bremen at bay with Boateng and David Alaba contributing not only at the back but also going forward in the reformed system that head coach Hansi Flick has inculcated into the team.
New man at the helm
Former head coach Niko Kovac parted ways with the club on the 4th of November last year after a 5-1 drubbing at the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt. While the Croatian managed to deliver the double, clinching the DFB-Pokal along with the Bundesliga the season before, his tactical set-up failed to deliver. Adamant on playing from the wings, leaving sizeable unmanned trenches in the middle, the side relied heavily on the individual brilliance of the front three. This led to predictability in offence leaving them vulnerable to the counter-attack. Kovac had lost the dressing room, putting the future of several players in question.
Enter Hansi Flick.
The former assistant coach of the German National team took over a disarrayed Bavarian side who found themselves at the fourth spot, four points behind Borussia Monchengladbach with their next game against title contenders Borussia Dortmund, a tall order by all means. Flick, however, took no time in making his presence felt, hammering the Black and Yellow 4-0 in his first league game at the helm. Despite a stumble early on in his stint, suffering two losses on the trot to Bayer Leverkusen and Gladbach, Bayern under Flick never looked back, going undefeated in the league since the 7th of December last year. The side dropped points just once to RB Leipzig in a stalemate since then. With the upturn in fortunes, stability returned amongst the players with Thomas Muller, Manuel Neuer, and Alphonso Davies signing new contract extensions with the club, showing their faith in the new system and coach with Hansi Flick signing a permanent deal with the club until 2023.
Offence is the best defence
With veteran centre-half Mats Hummels making his way back to Borussia Dortmund at the start of the season, Niko Kovac tried his hand at different permutations in defence. Record signing Lucas Hernandez looked to make his mark, however, an ankle injury sidelined him for over three months. The injury came just days after a cruciate ligament rupture suffered by Niklas Süle, forcing Bayern to show gumption. With Hansi Flicks arrival came a shift. The decision of playing 19-year-old Alphonso Davies in his debut season for the first team as a full back was made, a move that revolutionized Bayern’s defence. Darting forward to create space for the wingers, proving to be a constant attacking threat while also having the unparalleled speed to get back and quash the counter-attacks, Davies took no time in solidifying himself as a key element in the juggernaut that is Bayern Munich. The side operated from the back through the orchestration of now centre-half David Alaba. Jerome Boateng eventually found new life under Flick, his signature long balls constantly unsettling the opposition. With Benjamin Pavard gradually finding his footing, the once doddery Bayern defence look rejuvenated.
Stability going forward
It was the season of experimentation for Kovac who persistently made adjustments to the squad. From switching Joshua Kimmich to full back from defensive midfielder numerous times to swapping between Corentin Tolisso and Thiago Alcantara, the Bavarian side lacked consistency. The above pale in comparison, however, to the Croatian’s decision to bench club legend Thomas Müller for six games straight, favouring loanee Philippe Coutinho instead. The German whose name will forever stay synonymous with the Bavarians found himself questioning his future. Under Hansi Flick’s tutelage, Bayern regained structure and discipline. Kimmich and Thiago played the role of holding midfielders with Müller playing the mastermind in the middle, picking up twenty assists for the season, overtaking Kevin De Bruyne for most Bundesliga assists in a season. Serge Gnabry was in fine form throughout the season alongside star striker Robert Lewandowski whose performance this season cannot be overstated, notching 31 Bundesliga goals for the season, a personal best for the Pole.
Winning Mentality
Bayern Munich fell as low as seventh in the Bundesliga standings this season under Kovac with a win percentage of just 50 percent when Hansi Flick arrived. With Flick came a more detailed approach along with stability in structure, leading the Rekordmeister to their eighth title win in a row and their fifteenth this century. The records and numbers are an indictment of Bayern’s stronghold over German football. The financial polarity between the champions and the rest of the league suggests the dominance will continue. Bayern is a European Giant, offering them security regarding player retention, a luxury their rivals fail to attain. The consequence of the financial dominance and security is a mentality, one that drives the German champions season after season and the same one that drove Bayern from the doldrums of the mid-table to record Champions. Rather than the sheer quality of players the club possesses, the winning mentality ingrained within the very core of Bayern Munich is the most arduous obstacle to overcome for their rivals.
