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How long will this go well? It was one of the first sports questions I asked myself at the beginning of the year. What was meant was the relationship between Hansi Flick and Hasan Salihamidzic. I was with FC Bayern for SPORT1 for the second time at the winter training camp in Doha / Qatar.
Flick (then acting coach) publicly asked for two newcomers. Salihamidzic (then sports director) was under pressure and reacted, also publicly.
Added to this was the announcement of Alexander Nübel’s engagement, an annoying Manuel Neuer, a flick by his side and again Salihamidzic, who again had difficulty explaining if the transfer informed the porters on the outbound flight.
Crackle between Flick and Salihamidzic
In warm Doha it creaked between the two, you could feel it clearly. Nothing was noticeable in the field, because the people of Munich sweated and plowed at the Aspire Academy. The mood was good. The team was small and prone to injury. The eighth championship in a row was firmly planned, a double was desired, the Champions League title was the great unspoken dream.
The triumph in the premier category, accompanied FC Bayern from the first day of this season. I was on a trip to the United States with the Munich team in the summer of 2019; Los Angeles, Houston, Kansas. In many conversations with players and officials there it was already clear that the knockout early in the knockout stage of the preseason against Liverpool gnawed at everyone involved and everyone was looking to improve.
I was sure and did not tell some colleagues: I am confident that FC Bayern will win the Champions League this season. You just felt it.
In early January there were no signs of the impending crisis in the Crown. 4: 0, 5: 0, 3: 1, 4: 3, 0: 0, 4: 1, 3: 2 – intoxication under Flick continued. The team again played exciting football in the 4-2-3-1 system, Flick found a good balance between defense and offense. People laughed again on Säbener Strasse. (SERVICE: Results and calendar of the Bundesliga)
On February 25, Bayern swept Chelsea 3-0 in London. As always, I was by SPORT1 in the place. At the time, it was inconceivable that it was my last trip abroad until the tournament final in Lisbon.
Flick also received a ballpoint pen from Karl-Heinz Rummenigge as a gift in London. His head coach contract was stated. From a journalist’s point of view, it was a pleasure, because Flick is very professional and respectful when dealing with representatives of the media.
Hoeneß bends me at the starting gate
Why I will never forget this trip also has to do with Uli Hoeneß. Before leaving for London, he criticized me in front of a dozen fans who were waiting for autographs for being in the CHECK 24 One-two in SPORT1 I have announced that Kai Havertz will not switch to Bayern because the transfer fees are too high.
Hoeneß, who traveled for the first time as a former president, caught me at the exit door in my I know, way that I had chosen on the microphone and that, in retrospect, was inappropriate. After Chelsea’s victory, our skirmish at the Bayern banquet was forgotten, we spoke briefly and said goodbye. As is well known, Havertz moved to Chelsea and not Munich months later.
In London there were no signs of the impending first lockdown, that Bayern would have a hot summer of transfers, but it showed. Havertz, Timo Werner, Leroy Sané – various names came up every day that needed to be properly classified.
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Undeterred, Bayern continued to win with Flick. 6-0 at Hoffenheim and the game was almost abandoned due to posters against patron Dietmar Hopp. In retrospect, this game looks like something from another life: a sold-out stadium, atmosphere, pyrotechnics, excitement, stress in the catacombs. I miss this world!
After two more wins, the first block came. No one knew when to continue. Professionally, the weeks between March 8 and Bavaria’s reboot on May 17 were the toughest of my career so far.
The teams huddled together, hardly anyone spoke in public. Still, I had to deliver articles and provide information to readers. Exclusivity and news pressure remained high. The only difference is that the ball stopped rolling.
Flick remains relaxed during lockdown
At the latest since my first ghost game on the site, Bayern won 2-0 at Union Berlin on matchday 26, I was clear about how challenging the next few months would be: games without encouragement, working with a mask, digital press conferences, without access to players, hardly any contact with teammates. (SERVICE: Bundesliga table)
Stories for this emerged because player commands could be heard on the field. Due to the lack of atmosphere, my senses as a reporter were even more acute because there are no more distractions in the stands. As a result, you discover stories you may not have noticed with 70,000 viewers.
Flick stayed relaxed during this time. During Corona’s first break, his players got the second wind for a historic season finale through cyber training at headquarters.
The Flick-Elf scored eleven wins in a row after the restart. For a long time, the people of Munich once again seemed invincible. Bayern became champion and cup champion and seemed more prepared than ever for the premier class in Lisbon. by SPORT1 I was in the Portuguese capital from day one. 4-1 against Chelsea, Bayern in the round of 16.
Coman shoots Bayern for a triple
I will never forget the atmosphere that the 8-2 win over Barcelona created. The fellow Spanish journalists shook their heads in disbelief. German reporters literally gasped. And the Flick Bayern? They moderated this gala evening with sobriety, almost without emotion. Because they were still a long way from reaching their destination.
Ironically, Kingsley Coman, who has almost been ruled out to date because Leroy Sané was on the starting line, led Bayern for a triple. Whatever the reason, but my first look after the final whistle was Robert Lewandowski, who immediately cried. My second Thomas Müller, who fell to the ground with both fists of joy.
The following celebratory scenes seemed more honest than ever, the reaction of the Bavarians was one of real joy and relief. The applause in Lisbon was not comparable to the cool minutes after German champions were crowned in Wolfsburg and cup winners in Berlin.
When Flick joins Alaba, Kimmich and Gnabry
Well after the final whistle of the Champions League final against Paris, I lived my personal scene of the season on August 23: the lights of the Estádio da Luz went out. Flick joined David Alaba, Joshua Kimmich and Serge Gnabry in the center circle. They crouched down and talked among themselves.
It was a magical scene that put an end to a long and intense season. After the finale and the last items sent to the office, I bought myself a cold Portuguese beer with a colleague. That night, we realized for the first time that we were part of a unique football moment. This was followed by a few days of vacation for the first time.
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Corona changes everything
My job changed suddenly due to the Corona crisis. With Flick, I only communicate digitally in the stadium, the writers guild reporters no longer conduct interviews with players after the final whistle. I usually only speak to informants on the phone. In the stadium there is a big gap between the selected reporters.
Protection of the mouth and nose is mandatory everywhere. The appeal of ghost games varies from stadium to stadium. You hear a lot at the Allianz Arena, but little at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Stuttgart. All in all, traveling to the game doesn’t cause any tingling in the stomach. No fan crosses my path just before the stadium gates, no one fidgets or stays interested when I go with mine SPORT1-Micro switch.
I don’t hear any more chants before going to the stadium. Instead, the dream hits of the 60s, 70s and 80s up to the Winnetou tune echo through German stadiums, as recently at the Allianz Arena.
In trips abroad we have last with SPORT1 he also resigns for security reasons. After the games, we reporters mainly live on the voices of the players in strange microphones of the broadcast station. As an editorial reporter after the final whistle, there is direct digital contact only in videoconferences with the trainer, to whom we can usually ask a question or two via zoom. The process is now running smoothly.
But I also notice that the content of digital press conferences is getting thinner and thinner. Due to the busy schedule, Flick has to hold up to six press conferences per week. The last time my interview with Bayern President Herbert Hainer on Säbener Strasse was even more beneficial, although it was conducted remotely and in compliance with all hygiene regulations.
Bayern have grown together
Despite Corona, something always happened with the record champions this year. FC Bayern have grown together in recent months due to the success of Flick and the joint effort against the Corona crisis. As a reward, Bayern also won the UEFA Super Cup in Budapest. It was the first Bayern final that I won SPORT1 so far I have failed.
The triple winners started the current season 8: 0 against Schalke, before the 1: 4 bankruptcy at Hoffenheim on matchday two. For me it was the first match with spectators since March 8. A blessing! Flick’s men looked tired for the first time in Sinsheim. The Bavarians were simply inferior.
When was the last time? However, eleven wins in a row followed, but the dominance of the summer was gone. Bayern dragged on, so four draws followed in the next nine games.
The crisis of the crown has left its mark on all of us. The cooperation of all those involved is characterized by caution and distance. Personal conversations, the exchange in the catacombs of the stadium, the kick of personal conversation are missing.
However: The bottom line is that Football Germany can be proud of the common sense and caution with which everyone involved was able to continue the game. There will likely be a ghost game year in 2021, but it would be excruciating.
