Talking Tactics: Bayern Munich look to seal domestic double

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Moussa Diaby , Bayer Leverkusen. (Photo by Max Maiwald/DeFodi Images via Getty Images) /

Bayern Munich should nullify the threat of wide players

I bet those photographers have a tough time capturing a perfect snap of Bayer Leverkusen’s wide men in the attack. Moussa Diaby, Leon Bailey, and Karim Bellarabi are tough to capture in a shot when they are making full throttle runs on the flank. Peter Bosz cherishes to see the touchline chalk scrubbed on his wingers’ shoes. That is what makes them tick in the attacking phase.

Bayer Leverkusen’s ball rotation in their defensive third is followed by finding a winger via through-balls. Be it a direct pass from the full-back or a pass channelized from the center, their wide men are the go-to options as the build-up culminates. Diaby and Bailey, who were the preferred pairing in Leverkusen’s recent games, refrained from practicing social distancing with their opponents on the pitch.

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The duo likes to tuck themselves at the shoulder of the opposition’s full-backs, ready to explode to connect with a through-ball. Alternatively, an attacking midfielder (mostly Kai Havertz) is targeted as a link-up in the central space to combine with a holding midfielder. Yet again, the target is to release their winger making a run in behind the opposition’s full-back.

In his last three full match appearances, Diaby has carried the ball progressively for an average distance of 266 yards. To assign a number for their attacking threat down the flanks, Leverkusen’s wingers have delivered 17 key passes in their last six outings. That is a massive 28% of the total key passes delivered by the wide attackers.