Bayern Strikes
Fansided

Bayern Munich: Five clutch players in 2019/20 season

By Kiran Thakare

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 25: FC Bayern Munchen players celebrate the third goal during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg match between Chelsea FC and FC Bayern Muenchen at Stamford Bridge on February 25, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Visionhaus)
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 25: FC Bayern Munchen players celebrate the third goal during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg match between Chelsea FC and FC Bayern Muenchen at Stamford Bridge on February 25, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Visionhaus) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next
MUNICH, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 21: (BILD ZEITUNG OUT) Joshua Zirkzee of FC Bayern Muenchen looks on during the Bundesliga match between FC Bayern Muenchen and SC Paderborn 07 at Allianz Arena on February 22, 2020, in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Harry Langer/ DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
MUNICH, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 21: (BILD ZEITUNG OUT) Joshua Zirkzee of FC Bayern Muenchen looks on during the Bundesliga match between FC Bayern Muenchen and SC Paderborn 07 at Allianz Arena on February 22, 2020, in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Harry Langer/ DeFodi Images via Getty Images) /

Joshua Zirkzee

Amidst the injury crisis during the final few weeks before the winter break, Bayern found an unlikely hero in Joshua Zirkzee. Hansi Flick took a brave decision to include Zirkzee in the squad to replace injured Kingsley Coman.

The Dutch winger didn’t disappoint Flick by coming up with goods against Freiburg and Wolfsburg. In both games, Rekordmeister were on the verge of dropping points. Zirkzee was introduced in the final few minutes of the game. He instantly made an impact by scoring goals that effectively sealed wins in both league fixtures.

After becoming a hero for Bavarians in these two games, Zirkzee received high praise from former players in the media. However, his chances dried up after the winter break as all forwards were fit and available. Flick made sure that Zirkzee was always present in matchday squads, though.

Robert Lewandowski suffered a serious injury against Chelsea in February, ruling him out for four weeks. Once again, Flick turned to Zirkzee during an injury problem. The Dutch winger responded in the best possible way, scoring a goal on his first start in a Bayern shirt. Zirkzee is still a raw talent, but his knack of scoring big goals will facilitate his development. He has a bright future ahead and has the talent to be a clutch player for Die Roten in the next decade.