What Has changed at Bayern Munich This Season?

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If you go back to round 14 of the 2019/20 Bundesliga season played at the beginning of December, you will find a 2-1 defeat for Bayern Munich at the hands of Borussia Monchengladbach. It was their second defeat in succession following the 2-1 lost at home against Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich dropped to 7th place in the Bundesliga.

On the 2nd of November 2019, Bayern Munich lost 5-1 at Eintracht Frankfurt and that was the end of manager, Nico Kovac. Hans-Dieter Flick was announced as the replacement and the club immediately went on to defeat rivals Borussia Dortmund 4-0 at home. A second 4-0 win followed at Fortuna Dusseldorf before the fairy tale appeared to be over with the two defeats highlighted above.

Little did we know at the time just what a fantastic job Flick was going to do at Bayern Munich in such a short period. Having seen the club in 7th place following round 14 of the season, fast forward to the 30th round and Bayern Munich are just two victories away from sealing the Bundesliga title. The question is, what has changed to allow the club to get into this position?

Perhaps one of the key aspects of Flick’s short reign at the Allianz Arena has been consistent team selection. Manuel Neuer, David Alaba, Jerome Boateng, Alphonso Davies, Benjamin Pavard, Joshua Kimmich, Thomas Muller, Thiago, Leon Goretzka, Serge Gnabry and Robert Lewandowski have all been regular starters when fit.

There are a few key players within that group who have really benefited from the appointment of Flick. Thomas Muller is a good example and at the beginning of this season it appeared as though his Bayern Munich career could be over. However, he has since become a key player under Flick and looks more like the player we knew few years ago.

In their most recent victory over Bayer Leverkusen, Muller broke the record for Bundesliga assists for a single season, with 20 to his name. Muller’s goal involvement, especially since the restart following the break due to coronavirus, has been phenomenal. His re-introduction to the starting XI has been hugely important in Bayern Munich’s revival this season.

Another interesting change under the guidance of Flick has been the selection of David Alaba in central defence. The Austrian international had been a regular operator for Bayern Munich at left-back but was moved centrally due to a number of defensive injuries. Having performed very well in the position, Flick has decided to leave Alaba there despite the return to fitness of Lucas Hernandez.

The seemingly permanent change of position for Alaba has allowed Alphonso Davies to come into the team at left-back. Signed as a winger from Vancouver Whitecaps, Davies has been a revelation in the position in terms of both defensive and attacking play. Davies, along with Gnabry and Muller, is one of the players responsible for the increased number of crosses Bayern Munich have been putting into the box recently.

Add the return of significant counterpressing and Flick has done a tremendous job in changing the tactical philosophy of the team in such a short space of time.