Feyenoord 3 – 0 Bayern: No surprises  | OneFootball

Kompanyball has been good for Bayern, in the Bundesliga. Most goals scored, least goals conceded. The team plays with a predictable, yet efficient, style and philosophy that is simply too much to handle for most German clubs. This consistency, however, has not been present in the UCL.

This article written by Pepe Salazar

After years of not losing a single match in the group stage, Bayern has lost three out of seven, the team’s worst European run in ages. This is not due to bad luck, injuries, unfair decisions or playing against Mourinho’s Inter type defenses. Bayern has lost these three matches by playing tedious football where all the big players have disappeared and tactical adjustments have made no difference.

No surprises

The trade-off of possession oriented systems that play a high backline is that goals will be conceded from transitions. The way teams score against Bayern is by playing old-fashioned long balls, almost like a formula. Bundesliga teams have not been efficient in exploiting this gap, but teams in the UCL have shown these big matches are about being efficient; possession is irrelevant if you can create three chances and score three goals.

By the 70th minute Bayern had completed over 400 passes while Feyenoord barely reached the 100 mark, but Bayern didn’t create quality chances; Feyenoord’s goalkeeper didn’t have to intervene and there were no heroic defensive actions, just a simple well positioned low block.

Bayern’s attack was front heavy but predictable. A 3-2-5 or 3-1-6 is useless if all it does is circle around the box. Kimmich played the same chip-pass over and over, him and Goretzka didn’t contribute anything in the attacking phase, but they didn’t contribute much in the defensive phase either. For five years Bayern has played this double pivot that is unable to carry the ball forward and make runs into the halfspaces, as it would be expected in clubs that play similar tactics and use a double pivot. This makes playing a low block comfortable, as apart from Musiala, Bayern has no players that will break the lines. Olise disappears in these big games, while Sané, Coman and Gnabry remind us why they don’t have a guaranteed spot in the starting XI. Kane got no service but he didn’t contribute anything in terms of chance creation either.

With all these tactical and individual shortcomings, it’s no surprise that a club like Feyenoord scored three goals by creating very few, albeit dangerous chances.

No solutions

Kompany subbed off Laimer, moved Kimmich to the RB position, and brought in Pavlovic, who is better at carrying the ball forward. Kim was also sent to the bench while Goretzka was moved to the CB position. Sané and Gnabry came in, and Bayern was attacking with a line of six players, in a 3-1-6 reminiscent of Nagelsmann’s era. Laimer was the only player that overlapped on the right flank, so replacing him with Kimmich made Bayern even more center-heavy, which made things easier for Feyenoord’s fullbacks.

Most teams are aware of the way Bayern will set up and there are little to no tactical variations. The only element that cannot be predicted is the surprise factor players like Musiala or Olise can bring to the match; when these players can’t carry the team, tactical variations become necessary. Last season, with a more limited squad, Bayern made it to the semi-final and was five minutes away from the final. By being aware of the squad limitations and playing tactics that minimized risks and maximized the use of space, Bayern’s wingers were able to create chances and score from runs in behind. The tactics serviced the players and vice-versa.

This UCL Bayern has rarely created space to run in behind because the team plays so high up and circulates possession so heavily that it gives a lot of time for low blocks to set up and get comfortable. Olise, Sané, Coman, Gnabry and Musiala are players that could benefit from having more space to make runs behind the defensive line. If this is the only way going forward, Bayern will need more players that can make a difference individually. If there are none, then tactics must be adjusted, at least for these tight matches.

Who can make a difference?

Besides the tactical adjustments needed from Kompany, in the very few matches Bayern has lost (or not won) this season we’ve seen that the squad lacks a surprise factor. Only Musiala dares to take on opponents. Olise has done so occasionally but rarely in big matches, Kimmich has also been absent in these big games, and Kane is far from having his best season. Sané gets into ideal positions but rarely scores, and the same goes for Coman. Neuer no longer makes those legendary saves that once made a difference. Who in this squad is able to step up in these big games?

Kompanyball is the way to move forward, especially in terms of consistency, identity and thinking about a long term project based on a solid approach and philosophy, but this applies mostly to the Bundesliga. When thinking about the UCL and the Pokal, it’s fair to say Bayern needs to be more daring, both tactically and individually.