Eintracht Frankfurt – Bayern Munich: Pressing, Overloads, and Defensive Gaps (3-3)

On Sunday, Bayern Munich faced Eintracht Frankfurt in a top of the table matchup featuring two of the Bundesliga's leading scorers: Harry Kane and Omar Marmoush. The Eintracht forward has lit up the Bundesliga this season with eight goals so far. As both teams competed for top position, this was a superb match with various tactical idiosyncrasies to analyse throughout the game. 

Tactical analysis and match report by Samuel Sutton.

Eintracht Frankfurt have adopted a high-pressing style since the beginning of last season, aimed at regaining possession quickly in dangerous areas. Their pressing isn’t relentless; instead, it’s strategic, featuring pressing traps that disrupt the opponent's buildup play. When executed effectively, this approach leads to swift attacking transitions, allowing attackers to make quick forward runs and capitalize on destabilised opposition shape.  When in possession, Frankfurt often look to exploit the wide areas, using their full-backs and wide forwards to stretch the opposition’s defense. 

In the match against Besiktas midweek, left-back Nills Nkounkou would push up in possession to create width with Mario Götze tucking in to play in the left halfspace. Accomplished center-back Tuta was back for the Bayern game as he was away midweek with the birth of his child. Arthur Theate shifted back to left-back. 

Eintracht Frankfurt would depend on quick switches of play and overlapping runs from their full-backs to effectively penetrate Bayern Munich’s defensive line. This is an area that Bayern would look to exploit just as Besiktas did midweek. With Nkoukou so far forward in possession, Besiktas looked to play around Götze and play directly into the . . .