Interim Bayern Munich coach Hansi Flick has enjoyed a perfect start to his reign, with two wins from two. The 54-year-old seems increasingly likely to get the rest of this season but will he be the man for the long term?
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Two games, two wins, six goals scored and not as much a shot on target conceded; as auditions go, Hansi Flick's has been flawless.
"You can see Hansi Flick gets along well with the team. He always had good ties to the team as assistant coach, and the team delivered today," said Bayern's outgoing president, Uli Hoeness, after Saturday's 4-0 win over Borussia Dortmund. "The two matches allow the leadership to think about it very calmly. I'm convinced we won't rush, and I think Hansi Flick will be the first person we talk to in the upcoming weeks." CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge made similarly positive noises.
Though little is entirely clear about the vacancy created by the departure of Niko Kovac, one certainty is that Flick is the man in possession. With Bayern's AGM on Friday, there's every chance he'll remain in the role until the end of the campaign, or at least until the winter break.
With unattached bosses Jose Mourinho, Arsene Wenger and Massimiliano Allegri all looking increasingly distant possibilities, Bayern's assumed favored contenders for the permanent position — Thomas Tuchel, Eric ten Hag, Mauricio Pochettino and Ralf Rangnick — are all likely to stay with their current clubs until at least the end of the season.
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It's not an unfamiliar position for Bayern, who sacked Carlo Ancelotti even earlier into the 2017-18 campaign before turning to Jupp Heynckes to see them through to the title.
Like Heynckes, Flick is very much a Bayern man. As a player, he made over 100 league appearances for the Bavarians and started the 1987 European Cup final in midfield, behind Hoeness and Rummenigge — younger brothers Dieter and Michael rather than his current bosses — though that ended in defeat to Porto.
Injury ended a playing career that saw him win four Bundesliga titles and a German Cup before a spell with Cologne. Following jobs as a head coach in the lower leagues, Flick started working with the German national setup in 2006, moving upstairs at the DFB (German FA) after the World Cup win in 2014.
That stint seems particularly relevant, as it's where he forged strong relations with the most influential German players in the current Bayern setup — Manuel Neuer and Thomas Müller in particular — something Kovac failed to do.
Player power
Neuer's suggestion that the previous weekend's the 5-1 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt, which cost Kovac his job, was "not a massive shock" and that "the next few days could be quite turbulent" hinted at the unrest among the senior playing group. Müller was equally unimpressed with the Croatian and was quick to praise the new man after Saturday's win.
"There were certainly elements within the team that wanted the coach gone," admitted Uli Hoeness.
It is, of course, almost impossible to judge a coach on two games. But that hasn't stopped the bookmakers from installing Flick, who returned to Bayern as an assistant to Kovac in the summer, as a heavy favorite to be the German champions' next permanent coach.
Given Bayern's dominance of the league in recent years, the coaching job often seems more about managing the egos on the pitch and in the boardroom than tactics, though early on, Flick has appeared to be adept at both.
"The past does not matter. It is about the here and now, these two games, and the team did it great. It is not about me but about Bayern," Flick said diplomatically. "I will enjoy this evening with my wife and a nice bottle of red wine."
By May, Flick could be enjoying a traditional beer shower instead if he's afforded the opportunity to try and lead Bayern to their eighth consecutive title. Hoeness, who officially leaves his post on Friday, said the club are looking for a "long-term solution" but that "until that comes, I am of the opinion that Hansi Flick is not a bad solution."
For now at least, you'll struggle to find too many Bayern fans who'll disagree.
Bundesliga Matchday 11 in pictures
Robert Lewandowski maintained his record of scoring in every league game this season as Bayern thrashed Dortmund again. Elsewhere, it was a poignant afternoon in Berlin there was a thriller in Gelsenkirchen.
Image: AFP/O. Andersen
Hertha Berlin 2-4 RB Leipzig
On the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Hertha assembled a wall across the field in the build-up of the visit of RB Leipzig, a poignant reminder of the history of the city. On the field, the hosts went ahead with a Maximilian Mittelstädt rocket, but failed to capitalize. Timo Werner's brace and a goal each for Marcel Sabitzer and Kevin Kampl made it a handsome win for the visitors.
Image: AFP/O. Andersen
Bayern Munich 4-0 Borussia Dortmund
Robert Lewandowski scored his 15th and 16th Bundesliga goals of the season as Bayern Munich dished out another heavy defeat of Borussia Dortmund at the Allianz Arena. Lewandowski's header opened the scoring, and Serge Gnabry made it two shortly after the break. Lewandowski's second made it three, before a late Mats Hummels own goal compounded Dortmund's misery.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Hoppe
Schalke 3-3 Fortuna Düsseldorf
Rouwen Hennings scored a hat-trick as Fortuna Düsseldorf fought back three times to secure a point against Schalke in one of the games of the season so far. Daniel Caligiuri, Ozan Kabak and Suat Serdar each scored for Schalke, but each time Hennings leveled for the visitors, who richly deserved their point in this six-goal thriller.
Image: picture-alliance/Fotostand/Wundrig
Paderborn 0-1 Augsburg
Augsburg picked up a huge win in the battle of the two cellar dwellers, holding their nerve to win in Paderborn, who missed an early penalty. That moment in the seventh minute proved crucial, as Tomas Koubek saved from Klaus Gjasula. The winning goal came four minutes before half-time, courtesy of Philipp Max. Paderborn remain rooted to the bottom of the table, while Augsburg climb to 15th.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/D. Inderlied
Mainz 2-3 Union Berlin
Sebastian Andersson struck twice as Union Berlin beat struggling Mainz, despite a late rally by the hosts. Coming off the back of victory in the Berlin derby, Union took the lead through a Daniel Brosinksi own goal. Andersson added a second on the stroke of half-time and added another soon after the break. Karim Onisiwo and Brosinksi scored in the final 10 minutes, but Union held on.
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/A. Grimm
Cologne 1-2 Hoffenheim
Referee Robert Kampka can hardly have been the toast of Cologne at full time in this one. The struggling hosts put up a fierce fight — a rarity so far this season — and took the lead in the first half. But Hoffenheim drew level, and were then awarded a VAR penalty deep into stoppage time. Jürgen Locadia converted. Cologne's notorious technological curse rolls on.
Image: picture-alliance/RHR-FOTO/D. Ewert
Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-1 Werder Bremen
The home side looked like the better team from the get-go, and it took Ramy Bensebaini 20 minutes to score the first for Marco Rose’s side. Patrick Herrmann added Gladbach’s second just two minutes afterwards, with the captain adding another one on the 59th minute. Leo Bittencourt’s consolation goal hardly changed much. Gladbach open a four-point lead on top of the Bundesliga table.
Image: Imago Images/Sven Simon/A. Waelischmiller
Wolfsburg 0-2 Bayer Leverkusen
Peter Bosz is known for his attacking tactics, but it was Leverkusen’s defence that made all the difference against Wolfsburg. It wasn’t the most brilliant of games, but goals through Karim Bellarabi (25’) and Paulinho (90’) were enough to secure the three points. Second win in a row for Leverkusen
Image: Imago Images/J. Sielski
Freiburg 1-0 Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt's Gelson Fernandez saw the red card in the first half. But it took Freiburg until the 77th minute to capitalize. Nils Petersen’s accurate shot left keeper Rönnow no chance. Eintracht captain David Abraham was sent off before the final whistle for body-checking Freiburg coach Christian Streich, while Freiburg’s Vincenzo Grifo saw the red card for his reaction from the bench.