Bayern Strikes
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Talking Tactics: Bayern Munich vs Schalke 04

By Kartik Sahni

GELSENKIRCHEN, GERMANY - AUGUST 24 : Benjamin Pavard of FC Bayern Muenchen and Matija Nastasic of FC Schalke 04 battle for the ball during the Bundesliga match between FC Schalke 04 and FC Bayern Muenchen at Veltins-Arena on August 24, 2019 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)
GELSENKIRCHEN, GERMANY - AUGUST 24 : Benjamin Pavard of FC Bayern Muenchen and Matija Nastasic of FC Schalke 04 battle for the ball during the Bundesliga match between FC Schalke 04 and FC Bayern Muenchen at Veltins-Arena on August 24, 2019 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images) /
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HAMBURG, GERMANY – JANUARY 10: (BILD ZEITUNG OUT) Head coach David Wagner of Schalke looks on during a friendly match between Hamburger SV and FC Schalke 04 at Volksparkstadion on January 10, 2020, in Hamburg, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)
HAMBURG, GERMANY – JANUARY 10: (BILD ZEITUNG OUT) Head coach David Wagner of Schalke looks on during a friendly match between Hamburger SV and FC Schalke 04 at Volksparkstadion on January 10, 2020, in Hamburg, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images) /

Rewind: Matchday 2 – Schalke’s 4-4-2

The hosts defended in a 4-4-2 structure throughout the match. There were, however, two different shades of this 4-4-2.

In the first half, Schalke used a mixture of the medium and low defensive block. Wagner used this to fend off the threat from Bayern’s astute passing gameplay. The PPDA metric also explains Schalke’s defensive tactic. Schalke allowed a total of 18.28 passes per defensive action in the visitor’s half. They, nonetheless, flourished quite well in this system in their half. Bayern managed only two shots from open play during the first 45 minutes with a total xG of 0.13. (Stats courtesy: Understat.com)

It was a completely different story for Schalke in the second half. Wagner made two changes within ten minutes. Ahmed Kutucu replaced Benito Raman, and Omar Mascarell made way for Salif Sane.

Following these changes, Harit moved on the left flank. Caligiuri took his spot on the opposite flank. Benjamin Stambouli joined McKennie in the center-midfield as Sane was placed in the center-back position. Schalke, again, used a 4-4-2 shape to press, but with a higher intensity this time. Schalke applied pressure from all corners. Stambouli and McKennie were robust in the central areas.

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Philippe Coutinho, who replaced Muller, struggled to find space in the hole for receiving a clean pass. As a result, the Brazilian was forced to pull back to bring the ball out from the back. Bayern was, ostensibly, stuck in a 4-3-3 structure. Hertha found it comparatively easy to deal with the champions in this scenario. This essentially caused Bayern to toil hard for their final goal of the game. It was Bayern’s only goal from open play where Oczipka’s mistimed challenge played a crucial part. The xG analysis also supports Schalke’s transformation in the second half. Schalke’s second half xG aggregated to 1.04 compared with Bayern’s score of 0.57. (Stats courtesy: Understat.com)

To sum up, Schalke defended with aplomb in their 4-4-2 composition throughout the match. The hosts had a tackle success rate of 68%, made 17 interceptions, and dispossessed Bayern on 11 occasions. (Stats courtesy: WhoScored.com)