Caretaker Flick tells Bayern to leave past behind, announces changes

SHOWS:

MUNICH, GERMANY (NOVEMBER 5, 2019) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

1. BAYERN MUNICH INTERIM COACH HANSI FLICK WALKING ON PITCH

2. TRAINING IN PROGRESS

3. FLICK AND CO-COACH HERMANN GERLAND ON PITCH

4. TRAINING

5. GOALKEEPER MANUEL NEUER ON PITCH

6. JAVI MARTINEZ AND PHILIPPE COUTINHO

7. VARIOUS OF WARMING UP

8. JEROME BOATENG WARMING UP, ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI IN BACKGROUND

9. VARIOUS OF TRAINING

10. KINGSLEY COMAN AND CORENTIN TOLISSO WARMING UP

11. SOCCER BALLS ON PITCH

12. FLICK COORDINATING TRAINING

13. PLAYERS TRAINING

14. FLICK WITH DAVID ALABA

15. TRAINING IN PROGRESS

16. SERGE GNABRY TRAINING

17. VARIOUS OF BOATENG AND MUELLER DURING TRAINING

18. FLICK SMILING

19. PLAYERS ON PITCH

20. FLICK SITTING DOWN FOR NEWS CONFERENCE

21. PHOTOGRAPHER

22. (SOUNDBITE) (German) BAYERN MUNICH INTERIM COACH, HANSI FLICK, SAYING:

"What I can say based on the analyses we already did with Niko and the training team is that we were always a bit too late. Maybe we also did not entirely trust our own performance and what's important for us now is to look ahead. What happened is over. We have to see to it that we start acting on the pitch. I want the team to show initiative and to defend from the front, to show they wantthe ball and then show their qualities once they have it."

23. VARIOUS OF FLICK SPEAKING

24. (SOUNDBITE) (German) BAYERN MUNICH INTERIM COACH, HANSI FLICK, SAYING:

"I would make a huge mistake if I didn't include all of them. That's of course what I will do. At the end of the day I bear responsibility and I am ready, but I included all of them. That's important for me. There will definitely be changes. Obviously I want a team which is already in place for the game on Saturday and that's why Javi Martinez will play. That much I can tell you. Thomas Mueller will also play. I won't reveal more than that but there will be some changes."

25. VARIOUS OF JOSHUA KIMMICH ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE

26. REPORTERS SEATED

27. (SOUNDBITE) (German) JOSHUA KIMMICH, SAYING:

"We have to deal with this in a professional manner now. This morning was not easy of course, also the atmosphere, when the coach said goodbye. I've already seen it once with Carlo Ancelotti. For us players it's of course a failure to some extent if we have to tell ourselves that had we been successful, it would not have come to this. So it also means that we players have to ask ourselves questions, improve our performance and win games again."

28. REPORTERS

29. KIMMICH SPEAKING

30. REPORTER TAKING NOTES

31. (SOUNDBITE) (German) JOSHUA KIMMICH, SAYING:

"We players bear the main responsibility now and we have to get our act together now. No one has any excuses anymore. The coach as an excuse no longer exists. It's us on the pitch and we bear the responsibility. Tomorrow we will have to make sure to win the game."

32. KIMMICH LEAVING NEWS CONFERENCE

STORY: Bayern Munich must look ahead and leave the past behind, interim coach Hansi Flick said on Tuesday, two days after the German champions fired coach Niko Kovac following a 5-1 thrashing away to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga.

Flick told reporters in Munich he expected his team to show initiative when they play Olympiacos in the Champions League on Wednesday and he announced "changes" without going into detail, except to say that both Javi Martinez and Thomas Mueller would play.

Joshua Kimmich, who spoke at the same news conference, hinted at an emotional farewell for Kovac earlier in the day, saying it was also a players' failure to some extent that he was forced out of the job.

Kimmich said he and his team mates needed to get their act together and no one had any more excuses after Kovac's departure.

(Production: Ayhan Uyanik, Michele Sani)