Talking Tactics: Bayern Munich vs FC Augsburg

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AUGSBURG, GERMANY – OCTOBER 19: head coach Niko Kovac of FC Bayern Muenchen gestures during the Bundesliga match between FC Augsburg and FC Bayern Muenchen at WWK-Arena on October 19, 2019, in Augsburg, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images) /

Rewind: Matchday 8 – Bayern tweaked their build-up

Augsburg’s strategy to press aggressively and force Bayern on the wings was transitory. Bayern responded with a slight change in the build-up process. Martinez pulled back to join the defensive line alongside Benjamin Pavard and Lucas Hernandez. Joshua Kimmich made an underlapping run in the half-space to join Thiago, Coutinho, and Robert Lewandowski in the final third. Serge Gnabry hugged the touchline to provide width on the right side. Similarly, either of David Alaba, who replaced Niklas Sule in the 12th minute, or Kinglsey Coman covered the wings from the left side of the park.

A simple technique that yielded two key benefits. First, Bayern could pass the ball through pressure, among their defensive line of three players. Secondly, Vargas and Richter were now forced to pullback to shield the center and half-space, which was clogged by at least eight Bayern Munich players.

As a result, Augsburg were stretched back vertically. The distance between Niederlechner and Augsburg’s midfield line increased, which created space for either of a center-back or Martinez to carry the ball.

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Moreover, Augsburg were restricted to maintain a compact structure to deny Bayern a passing channel in the central area. This created space on the wings for Die Roten. Bayern exploited this space with aplomb. Bayern could easily play short passes to feed a player on the wings. Alternatively, they played a plethora of long diagonal passes to find a player in these areas. Both of Bayern’s goals stemmed from this set-up.

To sum, Augsburg settled for a low/medium block to defend against Bayern. The xG metric reflects a close encounter between the two. However, the expected points score of 2 for Bayern and 0.79 for Augsburg explains the difference in the quality of their gameplay and chances. (Stats courtesy: Understat.com)