Talking Tactics: TSG Hoffenheim vs Bayern Munich

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MUNICH, GERMANY – OCTOBER 05: Philippe Coutinho of FC Bayern Muenchen, Florian Grillitsch of TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and Thiago of FC Bayern Muenchen battle for the ball during the Bundesliga match between FC Bayern Muenchen and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim at Allianz Arena on October 5, 2019, in Munich, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images) /

Rewind: Matchday 7 – Bayern’s Passing Network

The only exceptional skill demonstrated by Bayern was their accurate passing. As per WhoScored.com, Bayern kept 64% possession with a pass accuracy of 88%. The Rekordmeister started the match in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Joshua Kimmich and Benjamin Pavard flanked Niklas Sule and Jerome Boateng in defense.

During the build-up, they formed a 2-4-1-3 with a diamond in the middle. The full-backs pushed high as Thiago Alcantara held his position as the pivot. At the tip of the diamond, Corentin Tolisso positioned himself as the box-to-box option. While Bayern enjoyed acres of space to rotate the ball in their half between the center-backs and the full-backs, Hoffenheim’s low defensive block caused them problems in the center-space. As a result, Bayern could not take a single shot for the first 23 minutes into the match.

The Bavarians upped the tempo by dropping Robert Lewandowski slightly deep alongside Philippe Coutinho. This was a necessary move to cluster the center of the park to progress the ball. Die Roten slowly started to find gaps in Hoffenheim’s defensive block. Bayern could then smoothly rotate the ball horizontally in Hoffenheim’s half. They used Lewandowski and Coutinho to spread the ball on the wings. As a consequence of this move, Bayern flooded Hoffenheim’s box with a plethora of crosses.

Lewandowski’s movement to drop deep helped Bayern overload Florian Grillitsch. In situations when Bayern could play a successful pass in this zone, Hoffenheim were forced to disrupt their last line of defense. It was a clever strategy that allowed Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman to exploit the gaps from the wide areas. It was their astute passing ability that allowed them to find space and create threatening chances. However, the hosts rued the chances that they missed in front of Hoffenheim’s goal.