Bayern Strikes
Fansided

Talking Tactics: Bayern Munich vs RB Leipzig

By Kartik Sahni

Bayern Munich's French forward Kingsley Coman (L) vies for the ball with Leipzig's French midfielder Christopher Nkunku (C) and Leipzig's German defender Willi Orban during the German first division Bundesliga football match RB Leipzig v FC Bayern Munich in Leipzig, eastern Germany on September 14, 2019. (Photo by Ronny Hartmann / AFP) / RESTRICTIONS: DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO (Photo credit should read RONNY HARTMANN/AFP via Getty Images)
Bayern Munich's French forward Kingsley Coman (L) vies for the ball with Leipzig's French midfielder Christopher Nkunku (C) and Leipzig's German defender Willi Orban during the German first division Bundesliga football match RB Leipzig v FC Bayern Munich in Leipzig, eastern Germany on September 14, 2019. (Photo by Ronny Hartmann / AFP) / RESTRICTIONS: DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO (Photo credit should read RONNY HARTMANN/AFP via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
LEIPZIG, GERMANY – SEPREMBER 14: Head coach Nico Kovac of Bayern Muenchen gestures during the Bundesliga match between RB Leipzig and Bayern Muenchen at Red Bull Arena on September 14, 2019 in Leipzig, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)
LEIPZIG, GERMANY – SEPREMBER 14: Head coach Nico Kovac of Bayern Muenchen gestures during the Bundesliga match between RB Leipzig and Bayern Muenchen at Red Bull Arena on September 14, 2019 in Leipzig, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images) /

Rewind: Matchday 4 – The Red Bulls’ Takedown

The second half painted a completely different picture. Lukas Klostermann was replaced by Diego Demme at the break. Nagelsmann, thereafter, switched to a 4-2-2-2 formation. The Red Bulls stretched across the pitch. They created a plethora of chances from the onset of the second half. They used quick transitional play. The “DEEP” statistical norm from Understat.com provides more colour here. Leipzig completed seven passes within an estimated 20 yards of the goal compared with Bayern’s ten passes.

To put this in perspective, Leipzig were one shot shy of Bayern’s tally of 14 throughout the match. Furthermore, Leipzig approached the game with an aggressive pressing technique in the second half. Leipzig started to build with two defenders at the back using a 2-4-2-2 structure. The formation changed to a 2-2-4-2 when Leipzig moved deep in Bayern’s half during the attacking phase. This led to Leipzig attacking with at least four men with support from overlapping full-backs, Nordi Mukiele and Marcel Halstenberg. An interesting thing to notice was that Leipzig showcased less positional discipline for gaining momentum in this situation.

Consequently, Gnabry and either of Muller or Coman had to drop deep on the wings. Bayern were confined to a 4-4-2 formation to defend. The visitors were forced to spread horizontally on the pitch to counteract Leipzig’s threat from the flanks. The possession dynamics also saw a slight shift. In the opening 20 minutes of the second half, Leipzig clocked 48% possession. The supplementary time that Leipzig gained on the ball led to more chances for the Red Bulls. The hosts took nine shots from open play in the second half, which forced four saves from Manuel Neuer. This compared with Bayern’s three shots from open play in the second half. (Stats courtesy: Understat.com)

In a nutshell, RB Leipzig’s heroic second-half display justified the scoreline as both the teams had to share the spoils. After the first 45 minutes, the game saw the quick transitional play from both sides, with Leipzig gaining the upper hand. Below is a small snippet of statistics which fittingly concludes the close margins of the match.

"Leipzig     —    Bayern 1 —Goals— 1 1.65 —xG— 1.67 13 (6) —Shots (on Target)— 14 (7) 1.36 —xPoints— 1.37"