Bayern Munich – Bayer Leverkusen: Bavarian Bullies Blown Back (0-1)
Bayern Munich are back to beating up the Bundesliga but their brute force falls short of previous power. While it seems that they have only briefly lost their championship crown, the current kings of the country clipped ambitions with a cup knockout built on a familiar flaw.
Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere.
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Since the calamity at Camp Nou, Vincent Kompany’s clapback to the critics has been emphatic. Before a 1-1 draw in Der Klassiker, Bayern Munich strung together seven wins in all competitions, scoring 18 goals and shutting out all their opponents. The manager’s main mission is the return of the nation’s powerhouse to its rightful spot at the summit of the Bundesliga. So far, so good: the hosts have built a four point lead at the top of the table and are again looking down on the title holders.
Xabi Alonso amazed with his exploits at Bayer Leverkusen in the first half of 2024, but a permanent place at the top table would be even more arduous to achieve. Indeed, his men are not the same force that forged the unbeaten campaign, losing their streak in August and sitting seven points afloat of the Bavarians. Alonso has tinkered and tampered with the framework that gave him so much success to no avail. But could a second showdown of the season in Munich stir up more fear in the enemy camp?
On the road at Union Berlin, Alonso attempted to fit three central midfielders into his lineup. He stuck to the same selection process but switched one of those players. Aleix García gave way to Exequiel Palacios as a starter with Granit Xhaka and Robert Andrich. Arthur also came out of the plans in place of Nordi Mukiele as one of the defenders. Florian Wirtz was back in the fold without a recognized striker: Victor Boniface was missing with a thigh injury and Patrik Schick was on the bench.
Bayern’s biggest absence was Harry Kane: he had pulled out during the first half of the fixture in Dortmund with a hamstring strain. Michael Olise, who assisted Jamal Musiala’s equalizer, joined the attacking midfielder in the offense. Kompany changed only this piece in his starting eleven. Leroy Sané and Kingsley Coman covered the wings, while Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich claimed the two spots in the middle of the park. Konrad Laimer left Raphaël Guerreiro with no role at right back.
Similar strategies, different duels
In the Bundesliga fixture, the Bavarians were dominant. They forced their visitors to sit off in a 5-4-1 block, restricted their ideas on the ball to long balls to Boniface, and gave away few transitions. So, Alonso needed a new idea to tip the balance. In the first instance, it did not appear that this match would turn out to be different. The hosts had imposed their high pressing and possession approach.
9th minute: buildup sequence from Bayer Leverkusen. Matěj Kovář kicked a long ball towards the right wing. When Mukiele pushed up the flank, the man-oriented logic of Bayern’s defense demanded Coman to drop, so Alphonso Davies could, initially, track Frimpong. Mukiele won an uncontested aerial duel and as Dayot Upamecano had followed Wirtz out of the chain, Frimpong isolates Laimer.
However, Alonso altered his players. Without a striker, the third midfielder blocked up the center of the field more. With the backing of a bank of four, Frimpong and Grimaldo were in higher positions. For Frimpong, that positioning entitled him to target a weakness in Bayern’s plans. Omar Marmoush and Raphinha have inflicted the most damage to the stability of their defense with well timed deep runs on the right of the defense. Quickly, Frimpong switched sides with Grimaldo and cashed in.
The script shredded at the point of a fatal error in the 17th minute. Kovář kicked off a sharp restart, releasing the ball to Jonathan Tah following a throw-in. He was under no pressure, picking up his head to try and find runners. Frimpong lurked around the last line, and Laimer left the rest of the defensive chain to follow his movement. Tah targeted his run, Frimpong raced ahead of Laimer, and Manuel Neuer flew out, clattering the threat. The referee awarded the first red card of Neuer’s career.
Olise offers relief
Kompany called on Daniel Peretz for his first appearance of the season, and Sané was the sacrificial lamb. He needed his men to commit to the defensive blueprint: a 4-4-1 block in which Olise operated on the right wing and Musiala was a lonely figure upfront. Coman continued to fall back with Mukiele and Olise’s running also ensured that Leverkusen could not pull apart their opponents with constant shifts from wing to wing. Though the guests gained more of the ball, their shots were sparse.
Just as important to the Bavarians was the ability to break the cycle of defense. Coman could fly forward on the left wing in transition, but the ball security and foresight from Olise often broke the flow of Leverkusen sequences. With his clever dribbling, he drew throw-ins with crafty contacts of the ball onto defenders or drew fouls by putting his body between the man and the direct line to the goal. Bayern battled until the break. A goalless stalemate was the reward for their hard labor.
36th minute: offensive transition from Bayern Munich. Leverkusen struggled to turn connections with Wirtz into prolonged phases of possession. Olise encroached Andrich, and pivoted to prepare for his next action, combining with Kimmich to get out of pressure and break away. Once he carries the ball, he shifts to his right, pulling along Andrich laterally, before ensuring he protects the dribble with his body. Andrich can only attack the ball from behind the winger, whom he trips to concedes a foul.
A momentary lapse
Alonso adapted the arrangement. Palacios partnered with Xhaka in the center of the pitch, and Andrich departed the action, so a classic striker, Schick, could enter the proceedings. However, he did not last long. A calf injury compelled him to call for a replacement. Tella took his place in the 61st minute and Arthur also replaced Mukiele. As the minutes of the match ebbed away, Bayern battled to bring the rest of their energy to their approach. It would be a valiant, but ultimately fruitless endeavor.
The hosts had fallen back into their half of the pitch as Leverkusen shifted the ball around. Wirtz wandered onto the edge of their midfield, bounced the ball to Xhaka, and the midfielder moved the possession onto Grimaldo. Musiala had jumped from his position and was on the retreat as the wide midfielder advanced on the outside. He whipped a typically devilish delivery to the edge of the six yard box, where Tella tailed the path between Min-jae and Davies to crash a header into the net.
In response to the goal, Kompany called on the reserves with a triple substitution. He sent on Sacha Boey for Laimer on the right of their back four and Coman came off for Serge Gnabry as the left winger. In the midfield, Leon Goretzka gave way to Aleksandar Pavlović, playing his first minutes since a broken collarbone in October. The passing punch and presence from Pavlović poked at the dynamics in the midfield, but it was not enough. Alonso’s men protected their place in the next round.
78th minute: offensive sequence from Bayern Munich. Boey overlapped Olise, drawing Grimaldo backwards with him. Wirtz locks onto Olise, who shifted back to pass to Kimmich. Pavlović pulls closer to his midfield partner and Olise rotated into the pocket freely since Hincapié marked Gnabry. Pavlović punched a pass into the feet of Olise, who turned and tried to dribble at the defensive line.
Takeaways
Bayer Leverkusen look forward to the last eight of the DFB Pokal without the threat of the biggest challenger to their crown. Alonso also holds onto his impressive record against Bayern Munich: he has not lost any of his five contests with the club. The form of the hosts had commanded his respect, and even with the extra man, it was not a night where their free flowing fluidity decided the duel. But what matters most is a win that should inspire them to prolong the fight for supremacy a little longer.
It will be the fifth year that Bayern Munich do not double up on domestic trophies: one of the few disappointments from Kompany’s tenure. Against a strong side, they stayed true to their identity: the new manager is not content with stability and is willing to take more risks. Dominance has destroyed more mediocre opponents and will take care of most of the division. However, there are still some question marks about the strength of the squad and the execution of their strategy in top tier clashes.
Match plots are not available for this fixture.
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