How Jupp Heyneckes lifted Bayern Munich out of their early season stupor

#5 Regained the dressing room

As a beloved former manager, Heyneckes has regained control of the dressing room and restored focus

That’s what it all comes down to, isn’t it? The players. Unlike in our Sega-inspired Football Manager utopias, Sunderland can’t win the league even with Mourinho or Guardiola in charge – conversely, Bayern Munich won’t fall out of Champions League positions even with Neil Warnock in charge.

Once he lost the dressing room, Ancelotti had lost the plot irrespective of his ability to engineer a revival. “There were five Bayern players against Ancelotti,” said Bayern president Uli Hoeness. “It was impossible to get out of that.”

Heyneckes’ return brought back fond memories, and the players responded immediately. The hunger seen in his first game back in charge, a 5-0 win against Freiburg, was a stark contrast to the lacklustre team that turned up in Paris.

Bayern Munich have become a team to fear again - now it remains to be seen whether Heyneckes can match the dizzying heights the team reached in 2013.