Thursday December 31, 2020
Hoeneß is the only flaw
The most robust FC Bayern that ever existed
By Tobias Nordmann
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The dominance of FC Bayern in the 2020 calendar year is not reflected in the number of titles. With five trophies, the collection is very astonishing. This statistic reveals how good the Munich team were: There was only one (!) Defeat in 49 competitive games.
If Hansi Flick has an Instagram account, he has hidden it well. There is someone who calls himself “hansiflick.official”, but on closer inspection it quickly becomes clear: “hansiflick.official” is a rather moderately exciting fan account. A rather moderately well attended on top of that.
But you would actually be surprised to see the Flickhansi scurrying through the social networks, greeting and posting. This bizarre world of apparent perfection and self-presentation would somehow not suit this guy, whose success story at FC Bayern includes the spectacular framework data mini-midi-maxi-interim, ballpoint pen and then the quintuple winner.
Hansi Flick and FC Bayern, that is probably the most amazing success story of this year. At least from a sporting point of view. Otherwise one would probably (have to) name Biontech, one of those companies that has finally given people the much-needed hope in the fight against the pandemic. In a year that was almost completely freed from external emotionality in the stands, the people of Munich have enchanted the world (of football) to the ground. In a year in which the sporting class prevailed against the passion-driven even more than before, the FC Bayern team was the best. The best of all.
A game for which there are no words
With a 90-minute (in truth it was probably only 80 minutes) magic dominance show on August 14th in Lisbon, when FC Barcelona received the hardest humiliation in its glorious history. Lionel Messi and his teammates were beaten 2: 8. And humiliation is actually just the cute version of a game that there are no words for. And all too much brutal, including murder in the Spanish media.
At the end of this year, FC Bayern are leaders in the Bundesliga, being the first in their group to make it through to the last sixteen of the Champions League. And if the cup duel with Holstein Kiel (leaders in league two) had not been postponed, they would very likely (sorry, Kiel) continue to participate in this competition. But all of that, and not even the five titles, express how strong this team has been this year.
The proof of this can be found in another statistic: In 49 competitive games there was only one (!) Defeat. And of course she also had a spectacular punch line ready. The sporting perfection was shattered by Hoeneß. From Sebastian Hoeneß, who moved to TSG Hoffenheim after the third division championship with FC Bayern. And then it wasn’t just any defeat. It was a mighty gossip. The Munich team, exhausted by the European Supercup, lost 4-1. Kind of absurd.
A surprising amount of theater on the side
Not the only absurdity for the record champions this year. As strong as this team played, as robustly as it fought, when things didn’t go well with pressing and dynamism, when the glamor jersey had to be swapped for the soccer overalls – which was especially true in the final sprint full of exhaustion, injuries and more defensive against like Borussia Dortmund , Union Berlin and Bayer Leverkusen happened more often, so boulevard-friendly the club rushed through 2020. First the public squad dissent between Flick and Hasan Salihamidzic, who has meanwhile risen to the sporting board, then the sleazy bickering over the new contract of captain Manuel Neuer (including the theater about the commitment of goalkeeper Alexander Nübel) and finally the farce about David Alaba with the question: New contract or new club. In between, mixed up with a summery mini deja vu on the question of the team structure. With the winner Hansi Flick. Even if the four late newcomers have so far only played relevant roles in training.
Numerous reports on dissatisfaction, indiscretions and allegations were published with surprising force in this scandalous multi-part series. Such a thing was no longer known at FC Bayern, not since the 90s, when scandals and scandal whispered a miasanmia-polite “Grüß Gott” to each other with the finest regularity. As viciously as they argued and attacked each other again, so close together Flick gathered his footballers around him, defended them (Neuer, Alaba) if necessary, but also cracked down if his form or attitude did not suit him (Niklas Süle, Leroy Sané).
Flick not only defibrillated the long starving careers of Thomas Müller and Jérôme Boateng and reassigned both of them to key roles in Bayern’s power system. He also completed the Spanish fine spirit Thiago (meanwhile at Liverpool FC), who was finally able to erase the taint of the top game ghost with the Champions League triumph over Paris St. Germain (1-0).
Flick made Alaba one of the best central defenders (previously successfully located outside) and defense chiefs in Europe. He made Alphonso Davies a surprisingly admired left-back spectacle. Joshua Kimmich grew even faster this year than before into the role of the absolutely indispensable leader. And the sensational Robert Lewandowski played a little more sensationally than usual under Flick and was finally World Footballer of the Year. These are actually just the most powerful excesses.
There is also enough to tell about Serge Gnabry, about the power tower Leon Goretzka and about Kingsley Coman, who finally made the expected leap into world class not only because of his final goal in Lisbon. Sounds like a world coach? Is a world trainer. Just not officially. This is Jürgen Klopp. Although he became English champions with Liverpool FC, which was also an amazing achievement, he was also surprised. Flick, Klopp also thought, should have been the man of choice.
The FC Bayern team, they were robust against all attacks. Resistant to all attacks, she solved problems sometimes with brilliance, sometimes with skill. Often with dynamism, rarely with dizziness. Always with greed and gall. Flick’s work. Only Hoeneß, the most stressed one without a successful answer. But well, they know that very well at the club.
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