Four Takeaways as Bayern Munich stun Chelsea at Bridge

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LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 25: Thiago Alcantara of Bayern Munich during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg match between Chelsea FC and FC Bayern Muenchen (Bayern Munich) at Stamford Bridge stadium on February 25, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images) /

Midfield Dominance

A common question that had come around since Hansi Flick’s appointment as interim manager was who was going to start in midfield in the important matches? Well, it seems recent performances gave fans the answer, and that partnership of Kimmich and Thiago wreaked havoc in this match.

Kimmich and Thiago were both incredible and dominated Chelsea’s midfield. With Thomas Muller in an attacking midfield role, it was largely up to these two to get through Chelsea’s lines, and they did it with ease. By themselves, neither player is incredibly adept at defending, but together, with an expansive passing range and clever positioning, they were able to beat Chelsea’s press easily.

The hosts played with four central midfielders, two attacking and two deep-lying midfielders, while Bayern played with just three. Their width came from two wingbacks- Reece James and Marcos Alonso, while Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho played as the holding midfielders. It seemed as if head coach Frank Lampard set the team up to shore up the defense, playing with three defenders, and overload the midfield.

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This move backfired for the English side as Bayern midfielders sprayed long passes out to the wingers, completely bypassing this midfield, and exploiting the space behind Chelsea’s wingbacks. These two players were in top form and played at the highest level. If Bayern continues this run of form in the Champions League, then there should be some comparisons between this midfield and the 2012/2013 combination of Martinez and Schweinsteiger.

A discussion of Bayern’s midfield would not be complete without talking about Thomas Muller. Muller, like Thiago, didn’t get on the score sheet, but his performance can’t be downplayed. He continued his raumdeutering with storming runs into the box and exploiting space in the final third.

Bayern’s first goal would not have happened if it wasn’t for Muller, and he didn’t even touch the ball. Gnabry ran towards the defense with the ball, and passed it to Lewandowski going to the left, who then passed it back for Gnabry in the center of the box to tap in the net. However, the space for Gnabry was due to Muller’s run from the right flank, dragging Antonio Rudiger away from the central area. He kept on linking up the play brilliantly and almost got himself a goal with few good attempts.