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Looking back at how tumultuous the first few months of the 2019-20 season were for Bayern Munich, the Bavarians have turned things around pretty sharply since the sacking of Niko Kovac and the subsequent appointment of interim manager Hans-Dieter Flick.
Flick – already known for his exploits as the assistant coach of the 2014 World Cup-winning German side – started proceedings positively in the Bundesliga by leading Die Roten to a 4-0 victory in Der Klassiker against title rivals Borussia Dortmund. If the league does resume as per the current schedule, he will get to rally his troops against the same opposition on 4th April.
All this while, Bayern have gone on to record the best group stage performance in the history of the UEFA Champions League, secured a four-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga table, and booked a semi-final berth in the DFB Pokal. The team's performances suggest that they mean serious business and with the business end of the season looming, here's a look at why Hansi Flick's men can achieve the treble by the end of the current campaign.
#3 The hottest team in Europe
Bayern Munich have played a total of 11 competitive games in 2020, winning 10 of the same with a solitary draw coming against RB Leipzig. As a result, the Bavarians are currently the only unbeaten team across all competitions in Europe in this calendar year. In the Bundesliga alone, Flick's men have hammered 27 goals in the eight games played so far in the Rückrunde, letting in just four - the joint-best defensive record in the league.
Robert Lewandowski is leading the goalscoring charts in the UEFA Champions League and the Bundesliga while Serge Gnabry has pumped up his production of late, scoring six and creating another three across all competitions since February.
Elsewhere on the pitch, Thiago Alcantara has been absolutely mesmerizing with the ball at his feet while Canadian sensation Alphonso Davies has stepped up massively to become a regular feature at the left-back position for Bayern. Thomas Muller is leading the Bundesliga assists chart with 16 contributions in what has been a resurgent season for the Raumdeuter.
Bayern Munich have quality everywhere on the pitch with multiple match-winners capable enough of turning the tide in Die Roten's favour anytime during a game.
#2 Improving squad fitness
Bayern seem to have developed a history of facing injury troubles every season of late and this campaign has been no different. Long term injuries to key players including the likes of Niklas Sule, Lucas Hernandez, Corentin Tolisso, and Kingsley Coman among others has seriously restricted the choice of personnel the team has had on certain matchdays.
Other players have suffered niggles too, with Robert Lewandowski being the most recent one to be sidelined. The situation has been so sorry that if you name a Bayern player on random, there's a good chance he has missed games this season due to fitness concerns.
The current season suspension, however, has allowed more time for the players to recuperate and Hansi Flick is likely to have a deeper set of players at his disposal once the season resumes with key figures not having to sit out games.
In addition to that, in-game match fitness has also improved over the course of Flick's tenure. Early on this season, Bayern had a tendency of controlling games in the first half while getting run over in the second. The Bavarians have since mended their ways and can now be seen dominating matchups throughout.
#1 The Hansi Flick factor
Saying that Hansi Flick has done a remarkable job at Bayern since taking over from Niko Kovac would be a massive understatement. Favouring the 4-2-3-1 formation, Flick has gone on to establish a system that has significantly reduced the team's reliance on talisman Lewandowski for the goods while also playing attractive football across the park.
Although Bayern still don't have a completely shored up defence, the surety with which the players distribute the ball clearly reflects their conviction in the manager's game plan. This has consequently resulted in Bayern dominating the stats column against nearly all oppositions of late. Even when the team finds itself in dire straits on the pitch, it's usually a result of individual errors and not tactical latency.
Beyond his adept understanding of the sport, Flick has helped many players elevate their game this season. Davies is now the third most valuable player born in the 2000s after Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland as per Transfermarkt. Muller is having his best season since Pep Guardiola's departure as head coach while Jerome Boateng has risen to the occasion in the absence of the preferred starters due to injury.
Flick has already made this Bayern play dominant football comparable to the ilk of the 2013 treble-winning side. However, he still has room to spare with injured stars becoming available over time. Die Roten now find themselves in a position to win every competition that they are a part of this season, and Flick's tactical nous is largely responsible for that.
