Bayern 4 – 0 Stuttgart: Four goals, clean sheet, and subtle tactical improvements. 

This article written by Pepe Salazar

Subtle (yet effective) tactical adaptations

Stuttgart came out with a tactical approach that worked for nearly 60 minutes, at least in terms of not allowing Bayern to score and creating their only few chances through daring long balls. For this match Kompany made an important adjustment that gave Bayern much more stability, without really having to sacrifice or change the team’s principles (attacking through possession and flexible positional play).

Build up

Teams had been pressing Bayern in the build up using two forwards. Until today, Kompany had been building up with his CB pair quite far away from each other, and with Neuer as a kind of libero, forming a situational back 3. This structure was very compromising for the CBs and invited opponents to try man to man pressing.

Instead of doing that, today we saw Kimmich dropping into a RCB position in the build up, while Neuer stayed behind the CBs as a more traditional GK, the fullbacks and wingers stayed forward, Pahlinha would drop back if needed, and Kane and Müller also dropped back to help keep possession and carry the ball forward.

By doing this, Stuttgart had no option but to try a more zonal pressing structure, and they weren’t able to get the ball near Bayern’s box, eventually abandoning pressing to drop into a mid-block. This minor build-up adjustment allowed Bayern’s build up to be much safer and smoother, while at the same time nullifying the opponent’s press.

Attack

In the attacking phase, Bayern had been attacking mostly with variations of a 3-1-6 structure. This is overwhelming for some teams, but in the previous three matches, their opponents even seemed comfortable defending and waiting for the counter.

The trade-off of attacking with six or seven players is that if the ball is lost and not recovered quickly, huge gaps are created where quick forwards thrive. Kompany continued to use this structure but in a more balanced way. One fullback could stay closer to the midfield, creating a 3-2-5. This structure leads to a four man box in the midfield that creates numerical advantages both for keeping possession and recovering the ball close to the opponent’s box.

Even if Bayern took 60 minutes to score, by the time Kane scored the first goal he already had missed three chances, so chances had been created just not finished. Once Kane scored, Pandora’s box was opened for Stuttgart, as they were forced to open up, and since their attacking output was almost nonexistent, Bayern was in position to score even more goals without having to make any kind of adjustment.

Pressing

Kompany’s swarm-like man to man pressing was very chaotic and intimidating in his first matches. Naturally, some teams couldn’t handle it, while others wanted to be pressed to create risky long balls and switch passes.

Today, maybe because Musiala was absent and Müller and Kane are veterans, or maybe because Kompany didn’t want to burn out the team before facing Barcelona, we saw a much smarter form of pressing, more based on zonal marking and pressing traps.

Bayern was able to keep possession, play a very high line, and recover the ball quickly near Stuttgart’s box, but without risking too much in case possession was lost and the ball was not recovered immediately. The riskiest situations we saw today were mostly ineffective long balls that Kim was able to win easily, and one chance that could have been the 0-1, but other than that, Stuttgart never really caused problems for Bayern.

Pahlinha

Despite it being circumstantial, this match was Pahlinha’s real debut as he finally got to play close to 90 minutes. He had good defensive interventions and two shots at the edge of the box, one leading to Kane’s goal.

The fear with playing him appeared to be associated with his shortcomings as a passer and dribbler, but today he didn’t lose the ball and looked very solid overall. Starting him next to Kimmich may be a good move. Kompany could choose Laimer, but against Barcelona’s agile midfield, a player with Pahlinha’s defensive awareness may be ideal.

What to expect vs. Barca

Unlike Stuttgart, Barca has killer wingers and one of the best strikers in football history, so they will create chances even if Bayern defends well. Also, unlike Stuttgart, Barcelona is not a team that likes or that is even efficient when trying to play defensive football. Flick and Kompany share some similarities, but both have to be very aware that if they try some Kamikaze tactics they will be exposed to one of those seven goal matches where one team wins 4-3 and the defenders are often put in dangerous situations.

Kompany’s system seems to be more flexible than Flick’s, and especially after the tactical adaptations we saw today, we can say his system can also be more reliable defensively. Flick has been accused of not really having a “plan B” to maneuver matches that get complicated. Bayern will be the toughest opponent he’s faced so far, and with a squad full of talented but also very young players, tactical flexibility and the ability to defend efficiently will be a determining factor on Wednesday.

Against Barcelona, Kompany should embrace these subtle tactical adaptations we saw vs Stuttgart. Don’t sacrifice balance, no need for chaos or Kamikaze tactics. Don’t compromise the center backs, instead, help them in the build up and defensive phases. Also, don’t abandon the idea of possession, pressing in an intelligent way, and being the team that marks the rhythm of the game. If Bayern shows the balance we saw today, they should be able to beat Barcelona, and if that happens, it’s going to be a morale booster for both Kompany and the squad moving forward this season.