Hansi Flick pleased with the response from fringe players at Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick praised the players that came back in the lineup against Red Star Belgrade on Tuesday.
It has been a good week for Bayern Munich till now. The German champions sealed the top place in their Champions League group by hammering six goals past Red Star Belgrade on Tuesday. Die Roten will be looking to maintain their good run of form against Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.
Hansi Flick has been a breath of fresh air at Bayern Munich. The German coach has done an impressive job till now as Die Roten has won all the four games under him. Moreover, the performances are getting better with every passing game.
Flick has been consistent with his team selections. He has made minimal changes in the starting lineup during the first three games of his tenure. On Tuesday, Flick decided to make big changes to the team and tweaked the formation. The fringe players responded brilliantly as every player that returned to lineup had a positive influence on the game.
In the build-up to the game against Leverkusen, Flick had special praise for the players that have not been lately featuring in the starting eleven. Flick told media on Friday that the players that featured against Red Star Belgrade impressed him.
"“I was very happy for the new players who came into the lineup in Belgrade, they have shown a good performance.”“So whoever I’ll pick tomorrow, I cannot go wrong. I also understand it when players are not happy when they are not playing.”"
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The midfield saw major changes against Red Star Belgrade. Bayern reverted to a three-man midfield in Belgrade. Flick decided to give Joshua Kimmich a much-needed rest as he has been playing nonstop football this season for club and country.
Thiago Alcantara, Corentin Tolisso, and Leon Goretzka were the midfielders Flick decided to play together on Tuesday. The midfield trio didn’t disappoint as they dominated the center of the park with ease. Tolisso and Goretzka also managed to get on the scoresheet. These performances from midfielders will give Flick a good selection headache on Saturday.
Jerome Boateng also returned to starting lineup on Tuesday. The German defender couldn’t feature in league games under Flick due to suspension. David Alaba and Javi Martinez have been flawless as a center-back partnership in the last four games, so Boateng is unlikely to get consistent game time for the time being.
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Apart from praise for the squad players, Flick also hailed Robert Lewandowski for his goal-scoring exploits this season. After scoring four goals on Tuesday, Lewandowski has taken his tally to 27 goals across all competition in this campaign.