Friendly: SV Lippstadt 08 – FC Bayern 3-4 (0-3)
July 17, 2016 
(Foto: PATRIK STOLLARZ / AFP / Getty Images)
3 things we noticed
1. Playing vertical
Of course it is difficult to analyse what changes Ancelotti wants at Bayern and which details he wants to adapt. It was obvious that Bayern played very vertically against Lippstadt. Often trying to carry the ball fast forward with two or three consecutive trough balls. This tactic was paired with many diagonal runs from the wingers. When the attack took place on the right side, Ribery became a passing option in the centre. When the attack was on the left side, Robben was in the middle. Guardiola’s juego de posicion (positional play) was watered down a little.
The movements of the number eighths and the defenders were interesting. On the ballnear side they also rather moved to the half spaces to be a passing option. Especially Lahm was very visible in the first few minutes. Because of his good ball control he was able to put Ribery and Robben in scene with many trough balls. But also Rafinha and Bernat moved into the centre, to support the game from there.
2. Testing players
Bayern’s squad is under review. Benatia was traded to Juventus and it is only a matter of time before the departure of Mario Götze will be announced, considering the statements by Karl-Heinz Rummenigge before the kick-off. Without Götze, Bayern has only 19 field players. This means a larger role for “squad players”. Three of them were in the starting XI against Lippstadt: Martinez, Bernat and Rafinha.
Especially with Bernat hopes are high that he can regain the performance of his debut season, but against Lippstadt he still seemed a little lost at times. Shortly after Bayern’s lead he played a much too short backpass to Ulreich. His pass was almost intercepted. Also, the interaction with Ribery and Benko wasn’t very strong. The trio on the other side with Rafinha, Lahm and Robben was clearly better.
3. Defending weakly
Test match or not, three goals against Lippstadt are too much. Many counter attacks for the home team after easy turnovers were striking. Here, the strong verticality (see point 1) became a problem. The distances between the different parts of the team were too big. Already in the first half, Lippstadt had two good chances. A problem was the lacking pressure of the midfield. With high tempo Lippstadt were able to run at Bayern’s backline. Due to the many substitutions in the second half, the game effectively broke down. Many players from the under 19 youth team couldn’t free themselves from the pressing. Here Ancelotti will need to make improvements. The next opportunity is on Wednesday at the home game against Manchester City.
