Lothar Matthaus Backs Hansi Flick to Take Charge at Bayern Munich Full-Time

Bayern Munich icon Lothar Matthaus has backed Hansi Flick to take over as the club's manager permanently. Flick is in charge until the end of the season after he replaced Niko Kovac in the dugout in November.

The Germany legend told Sky Sport Germany (h/t Goal's Josh Heycock) of the "peace and unity" at the club since he took charge:

"Nobody complains because they are not allowed to play or because they don't like the training. No one expresses a derogatory manner towards the manager or publicly expresses their frustration. That is all his doing.

"And in all this it should not be forgotten that the Bavarians usually play really beautiful, dominant and winning football. Even Robert Lewandowski can be replaced for a few games.  

"Of course, they may end up not winning the title or drop out of the Champions League, but you can't wait till the end of the season to offer a contract, it must be determined on sporting results, and who would do better than Flick at the moment?"

The 58-year-old added that he "very much" doubts current Paris Saint-Germain and former Borussia Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel would be a better fit at the Allianz Arena than Flick.

Flick took over after Bayern were thrashed 5-1 by Hoffenheim under Kovac. It was the third defeat Bayern had suffered this season in all competitions, and they had also drawn three of their first 16 matches.

Under the former longtime Germany assistant under Joachim Low, the Bavarians have played 19 games, picking up 16 victories, with their last defeat coming on December 7. During that run, Bayern have scored 64 goals and conceded just 14.

Munich are almost certainly through to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League after they beat Chelsea 3-0 at Stamford Bridge in the first leg of their last-16 tie:

As BBC Sport chief football writer Phil McNulty observed in the match, there was a gulf in class between the Bundesliga side and the Premier League outfit:

Former Norway international and Viasport broadcaster Jan Aage Fjortoft reported that advancing to the next round of the Champions League will ensure Flick remains in charge beyond the end of the season:

Bayern are bidding to reach their first Champions League final since they last won the competition in 2013, which was the fifth time they've won it or the European Cup in their history.

In the Bundesliga, Flick is hoping to guide them to their eighth consecutive title. Bayern are three points clear of RB Leipzig and four ahead of Dortmund with 10 matches remaining.