Talking Tactics: Bayern Munich vs SC Paderborn

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15 September 2019, North Rhine-Westphalia, Paderborn: Soccer: Bundesliga, SC Paderborn 07 – FC Schalke 04, 4th matchday in the Benteler Arena. Paderborn goal scorer Cauly Oliveira Souza (2nd from left) celebrates his 1-0 goal with Klaus Gjasula (l-r), Streli Mamba, Christian Strohdiek, Sebastian Vasiliadis and Jamilu Collins. Photo: Friso Gentsch/dpa – IMPORTANT NOTE: In accordance with the requirements of the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga or the DFB Deutscher Fußball-Bund, it is prohibited to use or have used photographs taken in the stadium and/or the match in the form of sequence images and/or video-like photo sequences. (Photo by Friso Gentsch/picture alliance via Getty Images) /

SC Paderborn 07 take on FC Bayern Munich in a match that is anticipated to be based on an attacking theme as the champions travel to North-West Germany in the sixth round of Bundesliga.

Bayern Munich is set to be on the road as this weekend against Paderborn. Steffen Baumgart’s side will be looking to cause an upset. He is the man behind Paderborn’s success story, that involves two successive promotions from the third division of German football in 2017 to the Bundesliga in 2019.

While the newly promoted club has collected only a point so far, they have been a treat to watch. Paderborn has played an attractive style of football against the likes of Wolfsburg, Leverkusen, and Schalke.

Despite a tough journey for the first five gameweeks, Paderborn have shown glimpses of their hunger for keeping the ball with an average possession of 45.16% that marked a dominant display against Hertha Berlin and SC Freiburg. (Stats Courtesy: One Football)

Paderborn is an attacking side that prefers dominating the flow of the game and take the opposition by surprise through a swift attacking scheme. As opposed to their natural playing style, Steffen Baumgart prefers starting his team in a 4-4-2 set-up. During an open play, Paderborn sits in two variations of the 4-4-2 formation. First being a narrow 4-1-4-1 with one of their strikers pulling deep that is used for an attacking transition and another being a 4-2-2-2 for a defensive phase.

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Such narrow and compact shape allows Paderborn to use their one-touch passing scheme. The one-touch passing is key for almost every move they make. For instance, during the build-up, Paderborn builds their attack from the back with a horizontal passing maneuver.

From this point, Paderborn has two options on their checklist. Primarily, the three defenders at the back will keep passing the ball between themselves. They eventually try to find a pass toward the flank where an overlapping full-back provides attacking support. Their second option is to use a central midfielder, preferably Klaus Gjasula, to create a link between the defense and attack.

Gjasula moves deep from his starting position. He is provided support from other teammates that tuck in to form a diamond and launch their attack through the center and half-spaces. The full-backs provide width as they enable triangular passing options throughout the pitch.

While 4-4-2 and its progenies might be the default shape for Paderborn in defense and build-up phases, they attack with three at the back. It is mostly their right-back, Mohamed Drager who provides the attacking option down the flank to provide overload in the attacking third. Their shape resembles 3-3-4 in this zone.

With attack being their ideology, Paderborn tends to maintain a high line of defense when they are attacking. While this has been an effective scheme for Paderborn in most of the attacking moves, it makes them vulnerable to dangerous counter-attacks with acres of space at the back.

Revisiting their past fixtures, Schalke and Wolfsburg exploited Paderborn’s high line of defense. When not in possession, Paderborn puts pressure on the opposition. In the opposition’s half, it is usually the strikers who take the pressing duties with slight support from the wingers and a central midfielder providing cover. Things turn harsh in their own half when Paderborn uses two or, even, three players to pounce on an attacker in order to gain possession.

Such an aggressive pressing allows Paderborn to start a transition for an attack. This is where Baumgart’s technique to keep a compact structure comes to fruition with players available in close proximities that facilitate their quick one-touch passing to enable a counter in split seconds.