Berlin (AFP)
Dominant in the Bundesliga, ruthless in the Champions League: Bayern Munich, 3-0 winner Tuesday night at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea in the round of 16 first leg of C1, has been walking on the water since Hansi Flick took office.
The coach, who replaced Niko Kovac in November, was able to promote a framework around a few key men, old men like Thomas Müller or new talents like Alphonso Davies.
. Hansi Flick, the discreet magician
Up to age 54, this technician found his place in the roles of number two, first of Joachim Löw, then of Niko Kovac in Munich. But his arrival on the bench has transformed Bayern.
It is generally agreed that it was above all his human qualities that made the difference. "He has a great social competence, and a team like Bayern needs that," notes the former glory of the club Stefan Effenberg.
"We saw in this victory the leg of the coach," adds Lothar Matthäus, ex-Ballon d'Or now consultant, "it is not only a success for the team, but also for Hansi Flick. Putting the right tactics in place and preparing the team as it did deserves great compliments. "
. Müller, the resurrected idol
The man who embodies the values of Bayern alone had lost its luster for three seasons, to the point of being definitively ousted from the national team at 29 by coach Joachim Löw.
Flick trusted him, and Müller became Müller again: a player not very elegant certainly, but atypical game which disorients his adversaries, able to score in all positions and deliver caviar to his teammates.
"He is very intelligent, he knows how to offer solutions," says Hansi Flick.
"It is nice to see him regain his lightness, his humor," adds Effenberg, "we have known phases where it was no longer like that. It means that he feels the confidence of the coach".
. Serge Gnabry, the rising star
Impactful like Ribéry, gifted against goal like Robben, Gnabry embodies at 24 the future of Bayern and that of the German team! The Champions League seems to inspire him particularly. His two sumptuous goals against Chelsea bring his total to 6 this season, after the resounding quadrupled successful in group stage on Tottenham's lawn (7-2).
The German press amused Wednesday to note that all of his goals were scored in London, a city he knows well since he was trained at Arsenal. He joined the Gunners at the age of 16, before returning to Germany in 2016.
. For Alphonso Davies, "a dream come true"
"I am realizing a dream, I am in a great team, and I am tenured"! Alphonso Davies, a 19-year-old Canadian recruited from Vancouver, spent his first season in Munich on the bench.
But Flick, in the fall, was wounded in defense (Niklas Süle, Lucas Hernandez) and had to completely overhaul his rear base. He had the genius to offer the position of left back to Davies, who had only played striker in his young career.
Since then, the Canadian has not dazzled his speed, his technique and his defensive reliability. "He has a physique and a sprint like we didn't have at Bayern yet," raves Thomas Müller, "but what is even more impressive is all that he learned tactically in one year. He arrived as a winger, but he delivers world class performances as a left back. "
. Robert Lewandowski, the gold standard
The Polish striker is almost the only star on the team who has never dropped in level, neither under Kovac nor under his predecessors. Machine to score goals (25 in 23 days of Bundesliga, and 11 in seven days of C1), he had only one flaw: he had not scored in the eliminatory phase of the Champions League since the last eight 2018 (against Besiktas). His detractors reproached him for his inability to transcend himself in major matches. He responded to Chelsea with two top class assists for Gnabry and a goal.
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