Bayern Strikes
Fansided

Takeaways as Bayern Munich emerge victorious against Union Berlin

By Joshua Bishop

Bayern Munich's German midfielder Serge Gnabry (R) attempts to score past Union Berlin's Polish goalkeeper Rafal Gikiewicz during the German first division Bundesliga football match FC Union Berlin v FC Bayern Munich on May 17, 2020 in Berlin, Germany as the season resumed following a two-month absence due to the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by HANNIBAL HANSCHKE / POOL / AFP) / DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO (Photo by HANNIBAL HANSCHKE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Bayern Munich's German midfielder Serge Gnabry (R) attempts to score past Union Berlin's Polish goalkeeper Rafal Gikiewicz during the German first division Bundesliga football match FC Union Berlin v FC Bayern Munich on May 17, 2020 in Berlin, Germany as the season resumed following a two-month absence due to the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by HANNIBAL HANSCHKE / POOL / AFP) / DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO (Photo by HANNIBAL HANSCHKE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /
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MUENCHEN, GERMANY – MAY 05: (BILD ZEITUNG OUT) head coach Hansi Flick of Bayern Muenchen looks on during the FC Bayern Muenchen Training Session on May 05, 2020 in Muenchen, Germany. (Photo by Roland Krivec/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
MUENCHEN, GERMANY – MAY 05: (BILD ZEITUNG OUT) head coach Hansi Flick of Bayern Muenchen looks on during the FC Bayern Muenchen Training Session on May 05, 2020 in Muenchen, Germany. (Photo by Roland Krivec/DeFodi Images via Getty Images) /

Hansi Flick’s game management needs improvement

One common criticism of former head coach Niko Kovac was how he used his substitutions, or rather how he didn’t use them. Oftentimes the first substitution wouldn’t happen until very late in the match when the player coming on didn’t have the time to make a difference. On various occasions, all three substitutions wouldn’t be used, even when the game was already in hand. It seems like those substitution ideas have been taken up by new coach Hansi Flick.

In the wake of coronavirus pandemic, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) announced it would allow up to five substitutions during the 90 minutes. With players still returning to full fitness, this is a great way for coaches to get more players playing time, especially if they are younger and could benefit from first-team minutes.

Instead, Flick only used the normal three subs, leaving a couple of stars on the bench for the whole match. One of those being record signing Lucas Hernandez. Hernandez had returned to form before the stoppage of matches. It would have been great for fitness if he had got some playing time under his belt. Instead, Flick didn’t make any changes to his backline.

This was also a perfect opportunity to get the youngsters into the match, like Lars Lukas Mai or Joshua Zirkzee, of which the latter has made several key contributions for Die Roten this season. Bayern fans have been wanting to see Mai in action for the past couple years after making his debut in 2018 under Jupp Heynckes. With having the extra substitutions, there is more opportunity to see these players in action.

The coach shouldn’t make substitutions just for the sake of it, but if the opportunity is there to get young players experience, then it should be taken. Obviously, making those changes at the 89th minute doesn’t make sense too.

The team chemistry does affect when substitutes are changed. However, when the game is in the pocket, then a runout for a few players would have been vital. From a tactical perspective, the team needed to make changes earlier in this match, as the team got stale and needed a fresh approach to break down Union Berlin.