Bundesliga
"We're focusing on technical skills" – Hansi Flick
Bayern Munich head coach Hansi Flick says he is "working on technical skills" with his players now that the Bundesliga leaders have resumed training, albeit under strict conditions due to the current coronavirus crisis.
Robert Lewandowski and co. returned to the pitches at the club's Säbener Strasse headquarters on Monday, completing drills in small groups while maintaining distance between all players and staff.
As tactical exercises, match formations and tackles would all require the players to be in close physical contact they are not an option at present, meaning Flick and his staff have had to work around the necessary distancing measures.
"We have to avoid physical contact right now so we're focusing on technical skills," Flick said in virtual press conference on Tuesday.
"After three weeks of cyber-training at home, the players are adapting to it well and it's a welcome change for them. You need a certain amount of time before you get into your groove again and it’s important to get used to all that again. We'll also have to get used to matches taking place behind closed doors. We want to do so in a professional manner."
Despite not being able to work on tactics or formations in training, that is not to say the 54-year-old has not thought about how to make his Bayern team even more unpredictable going forward, including potentially playing with two strikers rather than in his preferred 4-2-3-1 with Lewandowski as the lone forward.
"If the opposition are sitting very deep with two banks of players in front of their own goal, then playing with two up front is definitely an option," he said. "We need to be more flexible, also with an eye on next season, and we need to have more options."
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Serge Gnabry, Joshua Zirkzee and Thomas Müller would be among the leading candidates to partner Lewandowski, the latter in particular given his fine form under Flick and his recent contract extension until 2023.
However, any such tweaks could obviously only come once matches resume, and in the meantime Flick urged everyone to continue to follow the stay-at-home guidelines.
"We have to rely on our government and their foresight […] we'd all do well to stick to their indications."