Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick took time to work 1 on 1 with Marc Roca

Per a new report from Bild, it’s been revealed that Hansi Flick took time to train 1 on 1 with midfielder Marc Roca at Sabener Strasse this week. A bulk of Bayern Munich’s squad has been away on international duty, but the rest of the squad has been training regularly and Flick made a point of taking the extra time to work with Roca.

Specifically, after Bayern’s main team session yesterday, Flick pulled Roca aside and spoke with him for several minutes while the rest of the team was dismissed. He then coached him on winning 50/50 challenges and how to maintain possession of the ball once it’s won in those duels. These are both facets of the game that are important for a midfielder, especially a defensive midfielder like Roca. In addition to his mini session with Flick, Roca also put in an extra shift with assistant coach Danny Röhl, who joined Bayern’s training staff last summer after spending time working alongside Ralph Hasenhüttl at both RB Leipzig and Southampton.

Since joining from RCD Espanyol this summer for €15 million, Roca has only made a total of two appearances for Bayern. He started and played the full 90 minutes alongside fellow Spaniard Javi Martinez in midfield in the 3-0 win over FC Düren in the DFB-Pokal and came on as a sub for 1 minute in the 2-1 win over FC Köln in the Bundesliga. Despite hardly getting any minutes, Roca has maintained that he’s happy to be at Bayern and more than willing to put his head down and work hard to earn his place in the squad.

Photo by Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images

Without indicting Roca’s ability as a footballer, Flick had previously said that Roca just needs some work on his positioning after the win over Düren. It is important that he positions himself better. He is technically good, has a good pass and a good game shift,” Flick said of the midfielder.

On an unrelated note, Roca is the newest recruit in the [Thomas] Muller Mafia and we’re HERE for it: