Bayern Munich coach Hansi Flick admitted Friday that winning the Bundesliga title is just an “interim goal” in the German champions’ ultimate quest to win a treble of titles this season. Bayern will finally be presented with the German league trophy after Saturday’s game at Wolfsburg having already wrapped up the title ten days ago.
“It’s nice to have the trophy in your hands, but the league championship is an interim goal,” Flick said in a video press conference in Munich.
“That means we have other goals,” he added, hinting at a possible treble in his first season in charge.
This is the eighth year in a row that Bayern have won the league.
However, they can still land the treble as they face Leverkusen in the German Cup final on July 4 and are among the favourites for the Champions League, which resumes in August.
Flick has the chance to emulate club legend Jupp Heynckes, who led Bayern to the 2013 treble capped by a victory over Borussia Dortmund in that year’s Champions League final in London.
“We’ve made it,” said Flick referring to the league title, “but then we’ll already be heading to the next goal.
“That’s the way I’ve always handled it – and I like that we (Bayern) don’t say: ‘We’re already satisfied’, but rather that we are moving on to the next goal.”
Nevertheless, the 55-year-old, who was an assistant coach when Germany won the 2014 World Cup, admitted it was something “very special” to win the league title in his first season.
Flick has made the best start of any Bayern coach by winning 27 of his first 30 games since replacing Niko Kovac last November.
He says his goal is to keep his players focused between the German Cup final and the month-long gap before the Champions League restarts.
For their final league game of the season at Wolfsburg, Flick expects to have Spanish defender Alvaro Odriozola, on loan from Real Madrid, in the starting side for the first time since February.
Philippe Coutinho, on loan from Barcelona, is back in the squad for the first time since March following an ankle injury.
Should they score five goals or more in Wolfsburg, Bayern could equal or break the league record from 1971/72 when the Bayern team scored 101 times in a season.
Promoted
Robert Lewandowski, who famously scored five times in nine minutes against Wolfsburg in 2015, will be handed the trophy as the league’s top-scorer.
It will be the fifth time in his career Lewandowski has won the award having so far scored 33 league goals this season.
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