Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery has hailed to impact that Jupp Heynckes has made since returning to the club.
Heynckes arrived earlier in October after Carlo Ancelotti had been jettisoned following the 3-0 Champions League loss against Paris Saint-Germain, with Bayern toiling domestically and by no means certain of making progress in Europe.
Since then, Heynckes has overseen an undefeated run of six matches across three different competitions.
And Ribery believes that the 72-year-old coach, who is now in his fourth spell in that role with the club, has made all the difference.
“He’s breathed new life into the team and has welded us together,” he told Kicker. “He gives the players self confidence and speaks to us strongly.”
Out of favour under the previous regime, Ribery is hopig to play more regularly under the German, although he is presently sidelined with a knee ligament injury that has likely ended 2017 for him.
“I’m very happy he’s back, he knows what I can do,” he said. “When we met for the first time at Säbener Strasse, we fell into the arms, a special relationship, confidential, close, sincere, and Heynckes was responsible for it that I was so good in 2013.”
Bayern’s next test will be a trip to Celtic in the Champions League on Tuesday, with victory in Glasgow likely to be enough to guarantee the Germans’ place in the knockout stages.