Talking Tactics: Sane and Werner at Bayern Munich
By Kartik Sahni
Positioning & Formations
The turn of the previous decade saw a paradigm shift in Bayern’s playing style. Louis Van Gaal deserves the credit for instilling his playing philosophies and ideas into the Bayern DNA. The 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 formations are a byproduct of his coaching system. The arrival of Arjen Robben was not coincidental. That set the tone for how Bayern would play in the future. The rest, as they say, is history.
The 2013 success under Jupp Heynckes using a 4-2-3-1 setup could be attributed to the same principles. Pep Guardiola added more flair using his possession-based, high-pressing style. Flick has adopted a flexible approach by applying a mix of these systems used previously by Die Roten.
It is needless to say, Leroy Sane would fit perfectly in Bayern’s roster. One can vividly picture Sane operating as a left-winger in either of 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 formations. Being familiar with Guardiola’s footballing concepts, Schalke 04’s youth product should feel at home in Saebener Strasse.
Akin to Bayern’s evolution in terms of tactics and formations, Die Mannschaft followed a similar trajectory. Joachim Loew has deployed Sane as an inverted winger on numerous occasions, a position he operated during his early days at Schalke.
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Flick’s malleable tactics also provide room for using inverted wingers. Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman often swap their positions on the flank depending on the opposition’s strategy. Sane, too, can effectively play on the right-wing. Using his pace and dribbling ability, Sane possesses the skills required to emulate Arjen Robben’s signature move.
Meanwhile, Timo Werner likes to play on the brink of the last line of opposition’s defense. It is a tailor-made position for Werner, who makes use of his speed and finishing ability from this stance. This shall make it difficult for Bayern to accommodate Werner alongside Lewandowski in their current structure. The 4-2-3-1 structure is not an option. Nonetheless, Flick has publicly opined an alternate system to use two forwards in the future.
"“If the opposition is sitting very deep with two banks of players in front of their own goal, then playing with two up front is definitely an option,” he said. “We need to be more flexible, also with an eye on next season, and we need to have more options.”"
Considering the above proposal, Werner might likely be a good fit in a 4-2-2-2 shape. He can comfortably operate alongside Lewandowski in this system. This shall allow Bayern to continue playing with two pivots and two wingers. To fill the void of a number ten, Lewandowski might look to drop in the hole during build-up with his corresponding winger given the duties to spear forward after a successful ball progression to the mid-thirds.
Moreover, a 4-3-3 system may also bode well for Bayern with Werner in the attack. We have evidence from RB Leipzig’s current campaign. Timo Werner has been given a rather free role in attack under Julian Nagelsmann. The German striker has been seen charging forward from the wide areas from both sides of the pitch.
By those standards, Hansi Flick can put Werner on the left flank as an inverted forward. Serge Gnabry can be of great assistance to join the midfielders in the build-up from the right-hand side in this system. With sufficient numbers to facilitate ball progression, Werner and Lewandowski can focus on their prime remit to raid the final third and score goals.