Jurgen Klinsmann is all about family. As German coach between 2004 and 2006 and in spite of some fairly vicious criticism, he preferred to commute from Los Angeles to his homeland in order to spend more time with his wife and two kids. And now, in charge of Bayern Munich, his reign has a similar familial theme.

It seemed more than a little odd when the Bayern hierarchy chose the 108-times capped German striker to take over last summer despite having the experience of just seven competitive games as a top-level coach, but it's now clear that Klinsmann's belief in such outdated concepts as club spirit and player development appealed to the guardians of a genuinely massive club lacking the financial clout of some of their European rivals.

Bayern, you see, effectively fund themselves and when Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Uli Hoeness, two playing legends now plotting the course of the club in the boardroom, listened to Klinsmann, they would have looked at the club's bank account and felt he was the perfect fit. "Jurgen didn't talk about new players right away," explains Hoeness. "He just wanted to help shape the training environment. Jurgen is sensational when it comes to explaining things."

His plan for Bayern appears to have a certain Munster rugby feel about it. In his presentation, Klinsmann did not speak of tactics, formations or potential signings, but of respecting the club's traditions, getting the players to realise who they're playing for and making all those millionaires aware of the club's rich history. How many times have you heard Mick Galwey or Paul O'Connell speak of how lucky they are to wear the Munster shirt, or how they're fully aware they're only keeping it warm for the next generation?

Well, it's exactly the kind of thinking that Klinsmann has brought. Work is almost completed on a book entitled Mir san Mir, in English, 'We are Ourselves'. It will consist entirely of pictures, a family album if you will, of the club's greatest moments, positive images of Bayern claiming titles, scoring goals, winning penalty shoot-outs over the past 40 years. When completed it will be distributed to everyone at the club, from janitor to new signing, so they understand the depth of what has gone before them.

That's just one element of the Klinsmann plan; he has already transformed the club's training ground into a wholly untypical football environment. There is a quiet room, a café and several lounges. If you feel the need to fiddle around and rearrange some tunes, there's a DJ console available. There's also a movie theatre on site, not to forget the much-mocked statues of Buddha that have been placed strategically on the building's roof in order to create a well of positive energy.

"No professional footballer needs a Buddha," said Mario Basler, a former teammate of Klinsmann at Bayern, recently. "In my day, me and Stefan Effenberg would have gone up and shot the things." That kind of attitude has occasionally followed Klinsmann around since he pitched his tent in Bavaria but his past is proof of his ability to change the mind of the doubters. Before he joined Tottenham in the summer of 1994, the striker was viewed as the epitome of the diving, cheating foreigner. Within a few months, he had charmed the pants off English football, journalists, opposition supporters and fellow players.

Even Giovanni Trapattoni speaks warmly of the player, despite Klinsmann kicking the living daylight out of a dressing-room door when the Italian manager had the temerity to have a go at him after a game.

On the pitch his Bayern side haven't exactly been flawless but they clearly have something about them. While Sporting Lisbon may not have covered themselves in glory during their 12-1 aggregate defeat to Klinsmann's men in the last round of the Champions League, you don't hit the back of the net a dozen times if you're a shower of mugs. The margin of that victory – most teams in Europe would have failed to turn up having won the away leg 5-1 – is a prime example of Klinsmann's attacking principles.

When it comes to comparison with former managers, he's obviously more Ossie Ardiles than Trapattoni but that has brought about the same defensive issues that the Argentinean had when in charge of Tottenham. That neglect of the duller side of the game is the main reason why Bayern find themselves in the midst of a four-team race for the Bundesliga title, but you get the feeling all will come good before the end.

And all might well come good over the next two weeks against Barcelona, too. Pep Guardiola's side play with similar attacking intent to Bayern, making this game one of the more agreeable European encounters of the week. In 10 days time, Klinsmann might just have another few pictures for the family album.