BERLIN, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- Leroy Sane and Niklas Suele by now might have experienced that Hansi Flick is far from being the nice guy.
Ahead of the Bundesliga's top game this Saturday evening against RB Leipzig, both German internationals have slipped into the roles of substitutes when the entire squad is available.
Defender Suele found himself placed on the bench due to a lack of fitness, while Sane is blamed for a carefree attitude when having to join his side's defensive efforts.
The Bayern Munich coach, meanwhile, can be sure the duo has understood his message and that the rest of the team had heard his warning shot.
Despite an energy-sapping schedule, the Bavarian manager is holding the reins ahead of the Bundesliga's top act against RB Leipzig this Saturday evening.
The encounter provides the opportunity to extend the one-point gap to the second-placed Leipzig team. Or to say it in Flick's own words: A brilliant chance to show the DNA of the 2020 treble-winning club.
To give some of his stars a recovery break, key figures such as Robert Lewandowski, Manuel Neuer, and Leon Goretzka stayed home. At the same time, the rest of the team traveled to face Atletico in the Champions League. Bayern was already qualified for the knock-out stage.
In Madrid, Thomas Mueller and Serge Gnabry sat on the bench for over an hour, while reserve row players did the job.
Flick's action contains a coach's obligation to care for his players in stressful times but stands for the demand to be back to a top-level in an important game.
"The ones working for Bayern must know, for whom they play for. They must understand that playing for Bayern is about winning titles and championships," the former midfielder stated in a recent interview.
Flick announced in a club magazine that is full of comprehension for "nearly all issues" of players until "we get to my red line: It's all about quality and constant willingness to perform."
Failing to deliver that is a thing he won't ever accept.
The ones not willing to go the extra meter chose the wrong club, he added.
"We don't need players, only delivering the basics. It's about being ready for a high level all the time."
Former Citizen star Sane has dropped back to Bayern's winger number three behind Gnabry and Kingsley Coman. Boateng has developed into a suitable replacement for struggling Suele despite his age of 32 and ongoing muscle problems.
Flick said things at Bayern can quickly go into a new direction "if success isn't achieved. That, of course, is including the coach."
He is a positive character, he added, but said, "I am far from naive."
Being one of Germany's leading clubs means always reflecting and checking daily work.
"I am convinced the squad is following that path and has what you call competition robustness. You can see that in every training session. No one wants to lose any of the competitions we do in training," Flick said.
That makes him generally satisfied, but he is always turning his head to new shores.
As it seems, always having to perform on the highest level sometimes requires a frank word from the coach, even when in charge of a successful side having won every title possible. Enditem