How Hansi Flick guided Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga title after Niko Kovac tragedy

Not many expected Bayern Munich to win the Bundesliga title a couple of weeks into the 2019-20 season after a torrid start to the campaign under Niko Kovac. The Croatian was dismissed after overseeing just five wins from Bayern's opening 10 Bundesliga games this season and was replaced by Hans-Dieter Flick in November 2019. After taking over the reins in the winter, Hansi Flick has now written his name in the history books at Bayern Munich, having steadied the ship and also guided the Bavarians to their eight successive Bundesliga title, just over seven months into the job. 

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Bayern Munich crowned Bundesliga champions, as Hansi Flick oversees glory after failed Niko Kovac experiment

Niko Kovac was struggling to get results with Bayern Munich and a 5-1 hammering at the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt on November 2, 2019, was the final nail in the coffin for the 48-year-old Croatian. Bayern Munich then handed the reins over to Hansi Flick as the 55-year-old was promoted from assistant coach to interim manager on November 3. Bayern Munich were fourth on the Bundesliga table after 10 games and four points behind leaders Borussia Monchengladbach when Flick was handed managerial duties.

In Flick's first game in charge, Bayern ground out a 2-0 win over Olympiakos in the Champions League but a Der Klassiker against Borussia Dortmund was next in line. Bayern comfortable swept aside their arch-rivals in a 4-0 thrashing with Hansi Flick passing his first major test with flying colours. Following the Der Klassiker fixture, it became apparent that Hansi Flick had instilled a more aggressive style of football into his Bayern team.

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Bayern Munich crowned Bundesliga champions: Hansi Flick named permanent boss

Bayern Munich suffered consecutive defeats against Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Monchengladbach in late November and early December respectively, leaving them seventh on the Bundesliga table, seven points off the top. Despite the poor results, Hansi Flick insisted that there was no cause for concern as his team were still 'playing good football'. While it looked unlikely that Bayern would be crowned Bundesliga champions by the end of the season, a string of positive results towards the back end of December turned the tide. The football was proof enough for Bayern Munich to ensure that Hansi Flick would remain in charge at least until the end of the season. The results kept improving after and Bayern soon stepped foot in familiar territory at the top of the Bundesliga table three weeks after the restart of football from the winter break. 

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Bayern Munich crowned Bundesliga champions: The emergence of Alphonso Davies

One player that has stood out for Bayern Munich since the start of 2020 is 19-year-old left-back Alphonso Davies. Davies was asked to play as a left-back rather than a winger and excelled tremendously in his new position. The success with Davies at left-back also allowed improvement for David Alaba at centre-back. Up the pitch, Serge Gnabry was in the form of his life forming a lethal partnership with Robert Lewandowski, while Thomas Muller went on to break the single-season Bundesliga assists record. Muller credited his new boss for Bayern's change in fortunes. In April, Hansi Flick was offered a new contract that would keep him at the Allianz Arena until 2023. 

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Bayern Munich crowned champions: Finishing the season on a high

Since the resumption of football from the coronavirus break, Bayern Munich have been in domineering form, registering seven wins on the trot. Bayern resumed top-flight football with a 2-0 win over Union Berlin and that victory meant that Hansi Flick's side broke a Bundesliga record of scoring 50 goals in a coach’s first 16 matches in charge. Bayern also recorded a narrow 1-0 win against second-placed Borussia Dortmund at the Signal Iduna Park on May 26 which then put them seven points clear at the top. On Tuesday, a 1-0 win thanks to Robert Lewandowski's 31st Bundesliga goal of the season ensured that Bayern Munich were crowned Bundesliga champions for the 29th time in the clubs' illustrious history.

Image Credits - FC Bayern Twitter/Instagram