Bayern Munich: Takeaways from narrow Der Klassiker victory

4 of 4

Joshua Kimmich coming off for Bayern Munich due to injury.(Photo by Martin Meissner – Pool/Getty Images) /

Hansi Flick may have to tweak things in the absence of Joshua Kimmich

The biggest negative takeaway from Saturday’s Der Klassiker was Joshua Kimmich’s withdrawal in the first half due to injury. The German midfielder looked in immense pain, everything pointing towards a lengthy layoff from action for Kimmich.

Flick has been good at finding balance across the pitch. Kimmich has been a vital player for the German manager in terms of holding the midfield together in the last 12 months. His presence in the center of the park allows Die Roten to dictate the tempo of the game against the best teams in Europe.

If Kimmich is set to be out for months, Flick will have to go back to the drawing board to tweak things in his midfield setup. There is no one similar to Kimmich in the current squad, but Flick will have to find a way to navigate through games with optimum results till his return.

dark. Next. Alaba determined to see out season with Bayern

During his time in Bavaria, Flick has shown that he can be tactically flexible to get results without compromising his style of play. He has found a solution for the left-back position after Davies got injured. A similar response will be needed to compensate for the absence of Kimmich. It is a difficult situation for the team but yet another intriguing test for Flick.