Hansi Flick led Bayern Munich to win three titles – UEFA Champions League, DFB-Pokal, and the Bundesliga, in his first season (2019-2020) as the manager of the club. He said such a feat might be “extremely” difficult to achieve this season.
Hansi Flick’s Bayern Munich were unstoppable last season. They beat any team that came their way mercilessly including Spanish giants, FC Barcelona which they beat 8-2 in the quarter-final stage of the UEFA Champions League.
They went on to knock out French Ligue 1 side Lyon in the semi-final stage of the competition and then conquered Paris Saint Germain in the final to win the European prestigious title for the 6th time in the history of the club.
Bayern Munich won the Champions League last season after sealing the Bundesliga title and the DFB-Pokal where they defeated Bayer Leverkusen 2-4 in the final.
Hansi Flick commenced the 2020-2021 season on a high by beating Sevilla 2-1 to win the UEFA Super Cup. The German champions also beat Borussia Dortmund 3-2 to win the DFL-Super Cup.
Despite starting the new season with two titles, Hansi Flick stressed that the 2020-2021 season would not be as easy as it was for the club because his team and that of others are no longer the same.
I am ready for the @ChampionsLeague! 😀
— Thomas Müller (@esmuellert_) October 20, 2020
You too? ✌️🤔#UCL #FCBAtleti #FCBayern #esmuellert #PACKMAS pic.twitter.com/lPmgSLyEM1
Indeed, Bayern Munich has lost the creativity of Thiago Alcantara in the middle of the pack and the intelligence of Philippe Coutinho in the attack. Alcantara now plays for Manchester United while Coutinho has returned to Barcelona after his season-long loan at Bayern. But the German champions have made some brilliant addition to the team after signing Leroy Sane from Manchester City and bringing Douglas Costa back to Munich on loan from Juventus.
“We want to be as successful as possible,’ Hansi Flick said during a news conference on Tuesday. “But to reach the optimum level as we did recently will be extremely difficult.
“Especially in the Champions League, there are many very good opponents. It is all about taking one game at a time. It has served us well to focus on the road ahead.
“It is a different team from last season and each team has its strengths and weaknesses.
“For now, I am quite satisfied. We have only had one training week with everyone together, but now there is more solidity in our staff. What will be very important is to have no injuries.”
Bayern Munich is set to begin their UEFA Champions League title defense on Wednesday, October 20. They will host Atletico Madrid at Allianz Arena by 20:00. It is the first Group A match of the Champions League campaign and the winner of the tie will feel more comfortable going into subsequent matches in the group stage.
Meanwhile, Bayern Munich has announced that their 25-year-old winger, Serge Gnabry, has tested positive for coronavirus, and is currently self-isolating. This means that the German international will miss the Champions League game against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night.
ℹ️ Serge Gnabry has tested positive for Covid-19. He is doing well and is currently in quarantine. pic.twitter.com/ZMYliMAiy6
— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) October 20, 2020
