Hansi Flick congratulated Julian Nagelsmann on Bayern Munich’s recent form

Bayern Munich has looked a completely revitalized side after the went through their four-match winless streak in the Bundesliga earlier in the Hinrunde. At the time, the alarm bells were ringing and Julian Nagelsmann’s job was discussed at nauseum in the press, but his side has looked a real force ever since breaking that rut and they've gone on to win twelve matches across all competitions, drawing only to Borussia Dortmund in the season’s first installment of Der Klassiker that finished 2-2. In total, Bayern has already scored 80 goals from 23 matches this season, which is the best of any club in Europe’s top five league by a considerable margin.

Hansi Flick named his final Die Mannschaft squad for the World Cup in Qatar and, as usual, there is a heavy Bayern contingent in the roster — seven players to be precise. Bayern is typically always the most represented club in the German squad for international breaks and tournaments, but Flick is also highly appreciative of how much Nagelsmann has turned their form around after the rough patch they went through earlier in the season.

Flick had reportedly contacted Nagelsmann to congratulate him on seriously turning Bayern’s fortunes around to the point where they’ve been so lethal to close out the hinrunde before the World Cup break. “I called Julian Nagelsmann and congratulated him on the recent improvement in form of the team. That’s of course positive for us as well,” Flick recently revealed (via @iMiaSanMia). The two know each other well from their managerial tenures in the Bundesliga and ever since Flick has taken over the national team from Joachim Low after the European Championships, there has been a lot of direct contact and consultation between he and Nagelsmann.

Germany has one tune-up friendly against Oman before the World Cup officially begins, and that’s a match that Flick is remaining hopeful he can use Bayern’s Thomas Muller in. Muller has been out through illness and injury since the beginning of October, though he did make substitute appearances in the Champions League wins over Viktoria Plzen and Barcelona as well as the DFB-Pokal second round win over FC Augsburg. “I’m in constant contact with Thomas. We hope that we can use him in the friendly against Oman next week,” Flick said.