A Flick-er of fear? How modern Bayern coaches have fared in their first Bundesliga Klassiker

Even if Hansi Flick’s time in charge of Bayern Munich is short, he is not likely to forget his first Bundesliga match.

The 54-year-old, who was placed in interim charge of the first team after Niko Kovac agreed it was better for all concerned if he walked away, will take on Borussia Dortmund at the Allianz Arena on Saturday.

Flick oversaw a 2-0 win against Olympiacos in the Champions League on Wednesday, but his opening league match is a very different kind of fixture. Bayern are a point behind Dortmund after 10 matches and four adrift of leaders Borussia Monchengladbach, so a win really is paramount.

With Dortmund having found a bit of form recently it’s a hard game to predict and, as we can see, Bayern coaches have had mixed fortunes in the modern era when it comes to their first league Klassikers…

Ottmar Hitzfeld: Bayern Munich 2-2 Borussia Dortmund, 04/10/1998

Hitzfeld had huge success in charge of each of these teams, so perhaps it’s fitting his first Klassiker as Bayern coach ended in a draw.

Stephane Chapuisat put Dortmund ahead, Bayern turned it around with two goals in a minute from Giovane Elber and Carsten Jancker, but Christian Nerlinger forced a draw.

Hitzfeld took over at Bayern again in 2007 for a little over a year, and that first Klassiker ended goalless. You can’t say he wasn’t fair.

A legend calls time on his career – Ottmar #Hitzfeld, thank you for your time at #FCBayern: http://t.co/etx0F83OjG pic.twitter.com/4bBbFwZcrm

— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) July 2, 2014

Felix Magath: Borussia Dortmund 2-2 Bayern Munich, 18/09/2004

Another 2-2 draw, although this one was a touch more dramatic.

Ewerthon’s double had Dortmund ahead, but Lucio halved the deficit in the 88th minute and Roy Makaay snatched a point in stoppage time. It was a springboard to back-to-back domestic doubles for Magath.

63 – Happy birthday Felix #Magath! Medicineball. pic.twitter.com/ZJOlKvIc46

— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) July 26, 2016

Jurgen Klinsmann: Borussia Dortmund 1-1 Bayern Munich, 23/08/2008

Bayern won the DFB-Pokal final against Dortmund after extra time under Hitzfeld four months earlier, but the teams could not be separated here.

BVB, now under a certain Jurgen Klopp, took an early lead through Jakub Blaszczykowski but were pegged back by Tim Borowski in the second half. Klinsmann, meanwhile, was gone the following April.

Louis van Gaal: Borussia Dortmund 1-5 Bayern Munich, 12/09/2009

This was more like it.

Jupp Heynckes took temporary charge before Van Gaal became Klinsmann’s permanent successor, and he laid down a marker with this Dortmund demolition.

Mario Gomez, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Franck Ribery and a Thomas Muller double made sure Mats Hummels’ opener was swiftly forgotten. Only Jose Mourinho’s Inter stopped Bayern winning the treble that season.

Jupp Heynckes: Bayern Munich 0-1 Borussia Dortmund, 19/11/2011

Andries Jonker took temporary charge after Van Gaal’s exit before Heynckes got the gig on a full-time basis.

His first Klassiker was settled by a Mario Gotze strike that helped Dortmund stay on course for a league and cup double that season. Of course, Heynckes would get substantial revenge when he won the treble by beating Dortmund in the Champions League final just 18 months later.

Pep Guardiola: Borussia Dortmund 0-3 Bayern Munich, 23/11/2013

Guardiola had big shoes to fill when he replaced the popular Heynckes. Following a 4-2 loss when the teams met in the DFL-Supercup, a convincing Klassiker win before December was a smart way to go about things.

Gotze broke the deadlock against his old club before Robben and Muller settled things late on. Almost inevitably, Bayern won the double that season.

80% – Birthday boy Pep #Guardiola won 80% of his games in the #Bundesliga – by far the best record of any manager in the competition’s history. Eternal. pic.twitter.com/CuSZ0SoPBu

— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) January 18, 2019

Carlo Ancelotti: Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Bayern Munich, 19/11/2016

Despite his past achievements and his air of amiability, it just didn’t click between Ancelotti and Bayern.

Losing to Dortmund courtesy of a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang goal didn’t help his cause, and although he won the title in his only full season, he was out the door by September 2017.

10 – FC Bayern conceded 10 goals in the first 10 competitive games – for the first time since 9 years under Klinsmann (14 in 08-09). Porous. pic.twitter.com/1lj2z36jMf

— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) September 28, 2017

Jupp Heynckes: Borussia Dortmund 1-3 Bayern Munich, 04/11/2017

Interim boss Willy Sagnol never got to tackle a Klassiker, so Heynckes was given another chance to cement his legacy as an Allianz Arena hero.

He didn’t disappoint. Robben, Robert Lewandowski and David Alaba put the game to bed before Marc Bartra’s consolation, and Heynckes’ fourth Bundesliga title as Bayern coach followed at the end of the season.

Niko Kovac: Borussia Dortmund 3-2 Bayern Munich, 10/11/2018

Kovac certainly served up a treat in his first Klassiker – it’s just a shame it wasn’t one Bayern fans could stomach.

Lewandowski goals were twice cancelled out by Marco Reus before Paco Alcacer settled a thriller. Another domestic double followed for Bayern, but Kovac would still be gone within a year.

16 – The last time FC Bayern conceded 16 goals after 10 #Bundesliga games was 11 years ago – 2008/09 under Jürgen Klinsmann. Open. #SGEFCB pic.twitter.com/YfAx1eooQ3

— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) November 2, 2019