I’m writing some football for the first time so it might not be the greatest article ever.
Let’s go back in time, it’s 2019, Niko Kovać is managing FC Bayern München and they win yet another Bundesliga title and DFB Pokal but have failed to go past Liverpool (the eventual winners) in the quarter-finals of the UCL. Robben and Ribery have bid adieu to their beloved Allianz arena. Bayern Munich needed a revamp. A certain 70 million (highest in German football history) much-hyped defender Lucas Hernández along with compatriot Benjamin Pavard has arrived in Munich. Philippe Coutinho and Ivan Ivan Perisic have been brought on loan. This made Bayern Munich one of the strongest teams on paper in Europe.
Season 19/20 starts and RB Leipzig, Dortmund and Gladbach are dominating the table. Bayern are hardly in the title race. Lewandowski is scoring without a break. Gnabry is on fire, Kimmich is an ever dependent force. Alphonso Davies is going good but now comes the other part of the story. Bayern aren’t performing well as a team. Boating was considered to be finished and so was Müller. Neuer’s prime was considered to be over 2 years back. Coutinho was playing decent but quite below what was expected and then hit a series of injuries. An injury happened to Nikalas Sule, Benjamin Pavard and Hernández meaning that the finished Boateng was needed back. Also, all of these woes required some major changes in the team but before that another change was required. A change in team’s manager that would result a change in teams mentality because a positive approach was lacking. Then came Hansi Flick (former Bayern player and assistant under Joachim Low). Now his task was to rebuild the team. Müller was shifted to to position. David Alana had to shift to the center half to accompany Boateng. Alphonso Davies was made a left back and Pavard who soon returned, assumed the right back position. The midfield was given to Kimmich, Goretzka , Thiago and at times Tolisso. Bayern signed a possible Neuer replacement for the next season Alexander Nübel from Schalke and Oliver Kahn was made the team director. And now the story starts.
Hansi Flick brought the Midas touch that was missing. Müller became an assist machine (he was preferably a second striker and overall a forward until then). Not just an assist machine but by the time the domestic season ended, he finished with the highest number of assists in the league. Lewandowski’s scoring streak got better and today he’s past 50 goals in all competitions, he’s performing so well that everyone’s talking about him to win the Ballon d’or. Neuer in the second half of the season, found his touch back. Alphonse Davies at 19 became the fastest ever Bundesliga player and today is one of the most talked players and my favourite part is here, that Boateng seems to have got back his defensive prowess. These were the same set of players who were playing in the first half of the season but they performed awfully as a team (apart from the UCL domination). Hansi Flick brought the will to break the opposition strategies and attack together as a force. Their approach towards the matches shows their willingness to win everything not just the domestic accolades but international tournaments too. And post lockdown things have become even better. It seems they utilised the break to the fullest. Coming back to July 2020 and Bayern have a domestic double yet again and with UCL back in August, we can expect a German side lifting the trophy acer 7 years.
P.S. This is my personal opinion, and it might differ from yours so thought are always welcomed for a healthy discussion.
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