Appointed coach in August 2021, after fifteen years of reign of Joachim Löw, Hans-Dieter Flick has long been an appreciated assistant. After the inaugural defeat against Japan, its Nationalmannschaft already risks elimination against Spain, Sunday.
by Clément Gavard
In 2018, Germany discovered in Russia the unpleasant feeling of leaving a World Cup in the first round. Beaten from Japan (2-1), the Mannschaft is already playing its survival in this Qatari edition against Spain, Sunday November 27 in Al-Khor. This time, supporters, journalists and old glories cannot hold coach Joachim Löw for the main culprit. Posting for fifteen years, the 2014 world champion passed the relay to an old acquaintance in August 2021: Hansi Flick.
Before this surprise defeat, the successor embodied a change in continuity rather hailed. Flick knows well the difficulty of the profession of coach. From 2006 to 2014, he was Löw’s assistant and the right arm even led the quarter-final of Euro 2008 against Portugal (3-2 victory) to compensate for the suspension of his superior.
Above all, he plays a major role in the conquest of the world title in Brazil in 2014, between his good friend with the players and his work on the set kicks, decisive during the tournament. A discreet man, including passages as ephemeral sports director of the German football federation (DFB) and Hoffenheim the following three years convinced him to return as close as possible to the field. “Training is my vocation,” he repeats.
His fate changed in the fall of 2019, when he abandoned his role as assistant to replace Niko Kovac on the bench of a Bayern Munich then in crisis because of the results. Some find that the costume is cut too big for him, but Flick quickly proves that he has his shoulders to be number one. The recovery is spectacular, and the health crisis does not break the momentum of a “rekordmeister” – the nickname of the Bavarian team – once again a compressor roll to the point of achieving a historic sexup (Championship, Cup, Champions League , two supercups and a world cup of clubs), a feat until then only accomplished by Barça de Pep Guardiola and Lionel Messi in 2009.
“He knows how to manage the stars”
succeed in directing a behemoth like Bayern gives credit and inflates a CV. Before this experience, the former defensive midfielder only experienced the role of principal coach until the early 2000s, at a time when billionaire Dietmar Hopp entrusted him with the task of growing the small club of Hoffenheim, in fourth then third division. Two decades later, Flick evolved, without changing his approach. “He is a coach who will give more importance to humans than to tactics,” recalls Christian Daub, former defender, under his orders at Hoffenheim. He likes to speak with his players, he loves individual interviews. He will be interested in their life, their family, their partner, their children. “
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