What can the Bundesliga learn from Celtic? | OneFootball

Celtic went toe-to-toe with Bayern Munich throughout 180 minutes but just fell short of taking the six-time Champions League winners to extra time in Bavaria on Tuesday night.

When the draw was made, not many would have given the Scottish Champions a chance; instead, people viewed Celtic’s chances of just staying in the tie as an achievement.

However, Brendan Rogers’ side had a game plan and very nearly executed it to perfection. If there is one thing we’ve learnt from Celtic’s efforts it’s that Bayern are more than beatable.

With 12 league games remaining, what can other Bundesliga teams learn from Celtic in order to overcome Bayern?

Celtic’s Gameplan

Celtic had to absorb a lot of pressure throughout the second leg, but they could and possibly should have been leading by two games after the first 20 minutes.

Celtic lined up in a 4-3-3 formation but, off the ball played more of a back five with wing-backs. Their positioning was fantastic, and they frustrated Bayern into making mistakes.

It was right-back Alistar Johnston who had Celtic’s first big chance after bouncing on a mistake from Micheal Olise. However, he lacked composure at the last moment and failed to test Neuer as he came racing into the penalty area.

Staying on the right, midfielder and winger duo Arne Engels and Nicolas Kühn also provided a threat all night. Kühn saw one excellent cross go straight across the goal mouth, and another attempt cleared off the line.

The former Bayern academy man finally got Celtic’s goal in the second half after another quick counter and once again pounced on Bayern’s defensive mistake.

From there, Celtic became more defensive and were doing well in keeping the hosts at arm’s length. Goretzka probably felt he could have scored one on the night, but veteran goalkeeper  Kasper Schmeichel did his job when called upon.

It was only in the final seconds of injury time that the Celtic defensive fell asleep. They failed to track their men following a shot, and Alphonso Davies bundled the ball home to take Bayerm through.

For Bundesliga clubs watching, this has to be the blueprint for beating Bayern. Be rigid in defense but not afraid to press and pounce on a mistake for a quick counter. Many clubs in Germany are blessed with pace up front, similar to Celtic. If you play this way and don’t let Bayern have complete control all the time, you can cause them problems and force them into mistakes.

The Run-in

Bayern has 12 Bundesliga games remaining, including matches against RB Leipzig, VfB Stuttgart, Eintracht Frankfurt, and Borussia Dortmund. Though they have an 8-point lead, there are some big fixtures coming up, and Europe just witnessed that Bayern should not be the all-fearing team they are perhaps perceived to be.

GGFN | Jamie Allen