Hansi Flick: The man who got Bayern Munich's mojo back

November 2, 2019. Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 Bayern Munich 1.

The Bavarian giants were in disarray, lying fourth in the Bundesliga and ready to axe manager Niko Kovac. It was all a bit FC Hollywood to coin an old nickname and a real page-turning, toe-curling first few chapters in what looked like being a horror story for Munich's 2019-2020 campaign.

Bayern wanted a quick fix, but ended up with something incredibly special. Step forward one Hansi Flick.

The assistant boss was handed the reins on a caretaker basis, but was hardly the glamour name that observers were expecting to assume the role permanently. This is the era of the super coach and Bayern and their supporters saw it very much as a short-term solution before bringing in a so-called big gun.

Fast forward nine months and the 55-year-old has overseen a quite sensational turn around and rocketed himself into a place amongst managerial royalty. This was no horror story after all.

Bayern not only won an eighth straight Bundesliga and the German Cup, but added a sixth Champions League to claim the second treble in their history. They are now being lauded as the best team on the planet and have a plethora of young talent at their disposal to suggest they can continue to spark fear across the continent for years to come.

To put this haul of silverware into context, let's break it down a little with a few stats. He averages a trophy every 12 games. Bayern ended the season with a 30-game unbeaten run and a 21-match winning streak. It's not just a success story, it's fairytale stuff. Not even the Brothers Grimm would dream it up, especially as his only previous, notable spell as a manager had been during an unspectacular stint with Hoffenheim in the early 2000s.

Yes, this is a remarkable achievement for a modest man with no love for grandeur. On taking on the role, Flick stated: "We'll make the odd change."

Talk about understated.

So what was the secret? Well, the players bought in to Flick's vision from an early stage. He had been an effective number two over a number of years after all, notably supporting Joachim Low as Germany lifted the 2014 World Cup. It says much about his tactical capabilities that Jupp Heynckes, a man he has now emulated by leading Bayern to the second treble in their history, described him as the ideal person for the job and a "gem of a coach."

Not even the impact of coronavirus could halt the Flick revolution from hurtling onwards and upwards. Indeed, not many people will look back on 2020 with much fondness, but it will undoubtedly be a watershed moment for Flick's coaching career, propelling him from a man quite happy to work behind the scenes into one the media will demand in an A-list spotlight.

Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge summed it up when Flick signed a three-year deal to be head coach in April. "For many years now, Bayern have stood for possession, dominance on the ball, a strong positional game and lots of goals. Hansi Flick has brought that philosophy back."

No one really saw it coming via Flick, and yet the ingredients were all there. Bayern already had a world-class squad, it was a case of finding the right method and motivation.

Flick managed to blend this altogether and has effectively struck gold. His story is now a trophy-laden one. Domestic dominance was achieved once again and it was building perfectly for the final act.

At the Champions League 2020 tournament in Lisbon it all culminated in an exciting concluding chapter. Highlights included an 8-2 thrashing of Lionel Messi's Barcelona, and while the final itself failed to live up to the billing, it was fitting that the best team unit prevailed instead of headlines being written by the many superstars on show.

It was the perfect ending to Flick's fairytale and will no doubt be a Bavarian favourite for many years to come.