Bayern Strikes
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Four Takeaways as Bayern Munich seal victory against FC Koln

By Joshua Bishop

Bayern Munich's French forward Kingsley Coman (3rd L) celebrates scoring with his team-mates German forward Thomas Mueller and Polish forward Robert Lewandowski during the German first division Bundesliga football match 1 FC Cologne v FC Bayern Munich in Cologne, western Germany on February 16, 2020. (Photo by INA FASSBENDER / AFP) / RESTRICTIONS: DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO (Photo by INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images)
Bayern Munich's French forward Kingsley Coman (3rd L) celebrates scoring with his team-mates German forward Thomas Mueller and Polish forward Robert Lewandowski during the German first division Bundesliga football match 1 FC Cologne v FC Bayern Munich in Cologne, western Germany on February 16, 2020. (Photo by INA FASSBENDER / AFP) / RESTRICTIONS: DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO (Photo by INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images) /
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COLOGNE, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 16: (BILD ZEITUNG OUT) Kingsley Coman of FC Bayern Muenchen celebrates after scoring his teams second goal with team mates during the Bundesliga match between 1. FC Koeln and FC Bayern Muenchen at RheinEnergieStadion on February 16, 2020 in Cologne, Germany. (Photo by Ralf Treese/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
COLOGNE, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 16: (BILD ZEITUNG OUT) Kingsley Coman of FC Bayern Muenchen celebrates after scoring his teams second goal with team mates during the Bundesliga match between 1. FC Koeln and FC Bayern Muenchen at RheinEnergieStadion on February 16, 2020 in Cologne, Germany. (Photo by Ralf Treese/DeFodi Images via Getty Images) /

Bayern’s  preferred starting lineup

I mentioned this a couple of times before in this review, but I think the lineup against Koln is the one we will see next week against Chelsea. It’s nice to see it play so well in what is essentially a warm-up match against decent Bundesliga opposition.

When Hansi Flick has implemented rotation into his lineups since taking over, it has been difficult to predict his preferred starting XI. However, in recent weeks, with players coming back from injury, it has become clear what his go-to starting eleven will be, and I am very positive this was it, even Jerome Boateng over Lucas Hernandez.  We might see some rotation for the more important players next weekend against Paderborn given their position in the League, but against Chelsea, this will be the lineup Flick will field.

An aspect to this lineup, I haven’t mentioned yet, is the midfield. As good as Corentin Tolisso and Goretzka are, Kimmich and Thiago are the best options for the big matches. When healthy, no one is dropping Muller from the lineup, so unless someone gets injured next weekend (God forbid), these three will be the starters against Chelsea. This isn’t a bad thing though, as we all know how consistent Kimmich is and how good Thiago has been since returning from winter break.

Next. Five reasons behind Bayern Munich’s upturn in form. dark

We saw last year under Kovac that he had a very consistent lineup that resulted in the domestic double. During Carlo Ancelotti’s first season in the Champions League, we saw a consistent lineup that performed very well. Hansi Flick is preparing for that same thing right now.

Although it did not work out well under those managers, I think this is the right move to make. It makes me very excited to think about how good this team can play when each player is playing at a high level and executing the system exactly how Flick wants it.