Bayern coach set for stormy debut

Bayern Munich interim coach Hansi Flick has his work cut out as he seeks to plug the champions’ leaky defence and inspire some confidence ahead of Saturday’s Bundesliga clash with visitors Borussia Dortmund.

Assistant coach Flick was put in temporary charge after Niko Kovac was sacked in the wake of Bayern ’ s humiliating 5-1 drubbing at Eintracht Frankfurt. That defeat left Bayern in fourth place, four points off surprise leaders Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Long-term injuries to defenders Niklas Suele and Lucas Hernandez present a major problem for Flick, with Bayern leaking goals all season and facing one of the league’s most potent attacks.

Bayern have conceded 16 goals in 10 league games, the same as strugglers Fortuna Düsseldorf and more than 14thplaced Union Berlin.

“We will ”undertake Flick said after one his or two changes, first training session this week. “The way we have been conceding goals is not very Bayern-like. It is important for the team to be active. We have to defend from the front and try to get the ball back as quickly as possible..”

Bayern took a step forward on Wednesday, beating Olympiakos in the Champions League 2-0 for their first clean sheet in all competitions since September 21. But it is not just the defence that Flick must tackle. Confidence is a major issue for a side who find themselves in an unfamiliar position after dominating the league for years.

Bayern have won the past seven consecutive league titles, the best run in the history of the Bundesliga, but they have not been firing this season.

High-profile signing Philippe Coutinho has been disappointing, while the club has depended almost exclusively on Robert Lewandowski’s scoring ability with the Pole having netted 14 times in 10 games so far.