Philippe Coutinho: I tried to repay Hansi Flick's faith in me
Philippe Coutinho was delighted to make his first start under Bayern München interim coach Hansi Flick on Saturday.
Philippe Coutinho says he was eager to repay the trust of Bayern München interim coach Hansi Flick after being handed his first start under the 54-year-old in Saturday's 4-0 victory over Fortuna Düsseldorf.
The 27-year-old, who scored Bayern's fourth goal, told TZ:
"I tried to repay his faith right from the start. All in all, the team are good at implementing the things the coach demands. Pressing without the ball is very important to him. We put our opponents under pressure far up the pitch, thus causing them major problems. It wasn't expected that we would succeed so quickly.
"In the end, it's up to us players to do it all on the pitch, but we understood from the start how he ticks and what he wants from us - both on the training ground and in the dressing room. That's why it works, and we're all happy. Still, it's important to keep our feet on the ground," Coutinho said.
Flick has guided the German champions to three wins out of three since he took over from Niko Kovac earlier this month.