Freiburg – Bayern Munich: Bayern Persevere Through A Tough Week (1-3)
Bayern Munich dominated the first half in a game underscored by man-oriented pressure from both teams. The reigning champions are familiar with such matches and took a commanding 2-0 lead. However, they were on the ropes in the final ten minutes after Freiburg got back into the game through a Tom Bischof own goal. Nevertheless, Bayern stayed afloat and delivered the penultimate blow to win 3-1.
Tactical analysis and match report by Fahd Ahmed.
It has been a rough week for Bayern Munich, with unforeseen events off the pitch that transcend the importance of football. Joshua Kimmich was away due to personal matters, whilst Vincent Kompany has been dealing with medical issues. Before talking about the game, it is worth taking a moment to remember the hardships that the people we watch every week go through and to keep our thoughts with them. It is another reminder of the challenges that everyone in the global community also endures and the significance of football, which provides an escape and fulfilment for so many people.
Keeping that in mind, Bundesliga supporters were treated to an interesting match-up between Freiburg and the reigning champions. Julian Schuster’s team has enjoyed a positive start to the season, having commenced a nine-game unbeaten run since the opening fixture. Although they lost to Bayer Leverkusen in the league and Monaco in the UEFA Conference League, the Freiburg ship still had wind behind its sails as they faced Bayern.
Meanwhile, Bayern remain undefeated across all competitions and picked up a 2-2 draw against Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League despite having a relatively thin squad. This will perhaps materialise as Bayern’s toughest period over the past year, given certain key absences, whilst they prepare for the busy winter period.
Attempting to find separation during deep build-up to spring large-space attacks
In the opening period of the match, it was evident that Freiburg were willing and keen to bait Bayern’s man-oriented pressure. There were numerous sequences where Freiburg would possess the ball during deep build-up, with Bayern locking on man-to-man. Schuster’s objective in this phase was to find third-man combinations once an opposition player jumped to pressure the goalkeeper, who acted as the initial free man. Once this movement was carried out, Mio Backhaus would try to find a central midfielder, who would link a pass to the free centre-back.
If Freiburg could connect these passes, the centre-back could drive up the field and attack large spaces. Since he would be the free man, in theory, the player could carry the ball unpressured. If a Bayern defender tried to press, the domino effect would be that it would create a new free man. Further, when attacking large spaces, such moves can be valuable and increase the likelihood of scoring a goal.
Image 1: Freiburg tried to create separation from Bayern’s man-oriented pressure through third-man combinations.
The downside is quite obviously the risk that Freiburg take when trying to connect the initial link pass. With intense man-to-man pressure, there is very little room for error. In the 16th minute, the potential cost was clear as Konrad Laimer nicked the ball off Patrick Osterhage. Laimer’s cutback would have found Michael Olise if it had not been for Backhaus’ interception.
That said, in this same sequence, the upside was also evident as Backhaus immediately triggered a counter-attack. The left centre-back was momentarily free to receive as Olise was inside the box. Noticing this, Josip Stanišić left his initial reference, Derry Scherhant, to press the left-back. The domino effect played out as Schuster wanted, since Philipp Lienhart passed the ball to the free left-back, who drove up the pitch. Nevertheless, Bayern did well to recover quickly as they got numbers behind the ball and only allowed Freiburg to launch a shot from outside the box, which was blocked.
Interestingly, Bayern did not clear the ball hastily or try to gain possession control. Instead, they initiated a counter-attack of their own. Due to the speed of Freiburg’s initial attack, the rest-defence structure had not yet found organisation. Thus, with only a few passes, Bayern created a scenario in which Bayern’s centre-back, Dayot Upamecano, was running through on goal and unmarked. The sequence was concluded with a composed finish from Upamecano to provide the visitors with an early lead.
Image 2: Bayern responded to Freiburg’s counter-attack with another attacking transition, which led to the opening goal of the match.
Similar man-oriented pressure from Freiburg whilst Bayern try to create separation through combinations
It was a similar tactical story the other way around because Freiburg were pressing Bayern man-to-man. Unlike RB Leipzig last weekend, Freiburg were not hesitant at any point to follow certain Bayern players into unfamiliar territory, including the centre-backs tracking Harry Kane into the visitors’ defensive third.
Bayern are well prepared to face such circumstances as they try to use late runs from deep starting positions to create separation. Through one-touch combinations and connections, the idea is to access the space beyond, with a player arriving in that area to receive. There are other solutions that they have, but this was the primary objective, which paid off for their second goal. Serge Gnabry received his give-and-go with Nathaniel Brown before collecting the ball inside Freiburg’s box and carefully placing his shot past Backhaus.
Image 3: Gnabry breaks Freiburg’s high press following a give-and-go with Brown. He then receives a pass inside the opposition’s box before aiming his shot through the goalkeeper’s legs to double Bayern’s lead.
The dangerous 2-0 scoreline
The famous cliché of 2-0 being a dangerous scoreline was reflected in this match. Bayern controlled most of the second half whilst leaking little to no chances for Freiburg. They pressed well and handled the 1v1 duels but ended up conceding after a momentary showcase of fatigue and lack of concentration.
There was a disconnect in the press as Bayern retreated into a 4-4-2 shape, but Olise jumped out to press. Freiburg easily bypassed the pressure before creating a wide 3v2, which they utilised to find a runner, Jordy Makengo, and deliver a cross into the box. With the help of a huge slice of fortune, Tom Bischof deflected the cross into Bayern’s net, providing Freiburg with hope of a late equaliser.
Image 4: A momentary disconnect between passive and active defending allowed Freiburg to create a free man, which they used to deliver a cross into the box. With Bischof’s unintended help, Freiburg were back in the game.
The glimmer of optimism was all that Freiburg required to pile on the pressure. They came very close to equalising, but Jonas Urbig really stepped up when he needed to. The Bayern goalkeeper not only made some crucial saves but also commanded the box. In the end, Olise delivered the final blow as a Bayern clearance was picked up by Backhaus. However, he did not make the right pass to his teammate, and the ball was intercepted by Olise, who guided it into an empty net.
Takeaways
Despite Bayern controlling most of the match, Schuster will be pleased from a performance perspective, as Freiburg were always within relative touching distance. After scoring, they also threatened to equalise, showcasing their spirit and fight. However, Freiburg could not convert in the final third. Meanwhile, Bayern displayed their ability to hold onto a thin lead even though they were on the back foot towards the end of the match. Urbig deserves a lot of credit for this, along with the back line, which held firm. In the end, it was a well-earned victory with three vital points to maintain their stride with Borussia Dortmund at the top of the Bundesliga table.
Use the arrows to scroll through all available match plots. Click to enlarge.
Check the match plots page for plots of other matches.