Why Hansi Flick is an upgrade over Niko Kovac at Bayern Munich?

Psychological Alacrity

One argument in Kovac’s favour could be that the Croatian fought back in the Rukrunde last year, and won the league alongside securing another DFB Pokal. Focusing on the current season, he lost only two games, which has also been the case with Flick. To counter this statement and analyze what Hansi Flick has achieved so far, we first need to focus on the void left by Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery.

Speaking of the deadly attacking duo of Robben and Ribery, many had predicted a dip in Bayern’s form following their departure. Reinforcements arrived in the summer of 2019, albeit none in the wide attacking department as Bayern had their eyes fixed on much-coveted German winger, Leroy Sane. While this turned out to be a famous transfer saga of summer, Bayern pulled the plug on any potential deal for Sane (for the time being) due to unforeseen circumstances.

Fast forward, midway through the Hinrunde, Bayern saw 38 goals scored in 13 games (Bundesliga and UCL fixtures) with 50% contribution from Lewandowski. Fans and media were quick to react and saw adding new players in attack as the only viable solution. Surprisingly, this skewness reverted after Flick’s appointment as the onus for scoring goals shifted towards other players with Lewandowski contributing only 31% goals from a total of 32 goals. Additionally, the assists to goals scored ratio for Bayern surged from 0.68 under Kovac to 0.84 under Flick.

In effect, Hansi Flick mended the “team effort” at Bayern, which at one point seemed broken. He might have lost two games but has surely won the dressing room, a characteristic which stands way above any manager’s in-game strategy and shrewdness.

Bayern’s head coach was showered with love and praise from experience squad members with the likes of Manuel Neuer, Robert Lewandowski, and Jerome Boateng.

Reported via Bundesliga.com, Neuer expressed his delight towards the impact made by Flick:

"“He has a fantastic connection with the players, he explains things very clearly and deserves to be in charge.” Neuer told Germany’s leading sports specialist magazine, kicker. “He’s a very experienced football man. A Bayern coach needs a certain level of experience. He has to deal with the media, talk to the players and get them on board. Hansi’s done a great job so far.” “We’re defending higher up the pitch, running more and we have tighter links between the lines,” explained the 33-year-old. “Twenty metres now feels like 10 or 15. The channels are open and the communication between the players is a lot closer and easier. We give ourselves orders. It helps our game, and puts the opposition under pressure.”"

Even Bayern’s former treble-winning coach, Jupp Heynckes ran out of words as he sang praises of Hansi Flick:

"“Hansi Flick is predestined for the job as Bayern head coach, and is the ideal man for the position beyond the 2019/20 season,” Heynckes wrote in his column for Germany’s leading sports specialist magazine, kicker. “Within a short time, he has made the team look completely different, playing attractive and team football. Bayern now have a great chance to have a coach, who can shape an era. “He makes all of his players feel important, and I think the players are being completely honest with their assessments of him. Even superstars need a bit of love, and a coach needs high levels of empathy for that kid of thing – which Flick has in abundance. His not just the boss because of his position, but because of his personality, too. He is a gem of a coach. Such talent must be recognised and developed.”"

Although the above facts and statements should be taken with a grain of salt as a major chunk of the season is yet to be contested in 2020, Hansi Flick does seem to be a perfect fit for Bayern.

The bottom line, irrespective of new faces being added in the January transfer window, is that Hans-Dieter Flick has done a tremendous job trying to rejuvenate the “Mia San Mia” feeling which remains the core philosophy for FC Bayern Munich.