Flick turns up volume as Bayern Munich bid to break bad habit
BERLIN: Bayern Munich head to Borussia Moenchengladbach for Friday’s Bundesliga match aiming to end their current trend of conceding the opening goal, which has angered head coach Hansi Flick into shouting fits in the dressing room.
“I can also get loud – no problem – that’s something you learn over the years,” said Flick after giving his players a halftime roasting last Sunday against Mainz before they came roaring back to win 5-2 from two goals down. “It’s sometimes all part of saying, quite clearly, what’s going on.”
Bayern head to Borussia Park unbeaten in their last 20 games in all competitions. Yet buried in that run are two revealing statistics.
Flick’s team have conceded the first goal in their last eight league games, but fought back on all eight occasions for five wins and three draws. Sloppy passes and “negligent” tackling led to them again trailing relegation candidates Mainz.
Flick insists Bayern’s first-half performance was “not what you expect from a top team”.
After his sharp words in the dressing room, he switched Joshua Kimmich to right-back with Leon Goretzka shoring up midfield. The effect was almost instantaneous as Kimmich scored their first goal, then set up Leroy Sane for the second as Mainz’s lead was wiped out in 11 minutes at the start of the second half.
“The important thing is not to just scream blue murder, but to give the players something they can use to do better,” Flick said. “It’s great to know that we can fight back, but our goal has to be that we take the lead,” said Kimmich, back after knee surgery last November.
Moenchengladbach, who face Manchester City in the Champions League last 16 next month, are one of Bayern’s oldest Bundesliga rivals.
They last beat Bayern 2-1 at Borussia Park in December 2019 when Algerian free-kick specialist Ramy Bensebaini scored both goals.
After suffering from Covid-19 in November, the 25-year-old defender made a brief comeback on Saturday when he helped protect a slender 1-0 lead at Arminia Bielefeld.
Head coach Marco Rose has said Bensebaini could feature on Friday.
Saturday’s victory, thanks to Breel Embolo’s second-half goal, ended Gladbach’s run of four league games without a win.
“Bayern Munich are probably the best team in the world right now, it’s going to be a highlight,” said Gladbach midfielder Florian Neuhaus.