Germany’s Hansi Flick talks through lineup decisions against Armenia

When former Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick released his lineup for the Armenia game, there were some raised eyebrows from fans and pundits alike.

Jonas Hofmann was given the start at right-back, while Thilo Kehrer shifted out to left-back. Jamal Musiala was on the bench and almost immediately people had started to raise their eyebrows.

As always, though, Flick had a plan for how to best utilize his players as they manage their respective schedules for both club and country.

“Jonas Hofmann has his quality in the offense. Thilo Kehrer performed very well in Paris. That’s why he got the preference. When we have possession, we want to have a residual defense,” said Flick (as captured by Tz), whose team won the match 6-0. “With Jonas, we hope that he sets the impulses that he sets in Gladbach, also with us.”

As for Musiala, Flick just wanted to give him some rest.

“Some of the guys have brutal weeks ahead of them with games in the Champions League. With (Musiala) it’s like with (Hoffenheim’s) David Raum, he has also played a lot recently,” Flick said.