Bayern Munich 2-2 Arsenal: Takeaways from first leg of quarter-final

Thomas Tuchel got it right with the midfield setup

Thomas Tuchel was tactically faultless against Arsenal on Tuesday. The German coach had set up the team to disrupt Arsenal’s buildup play in the midfield. In the absence of Aleksandar Pavlovic, Tuchel decided to use a midfield pivot of Konrad Laimer and Leon Goretzka.

Laimer and Goretzka are not the most creative midfielders, but they provide a lot of robustness to the team’s setup. Both are good at pressing, which helped Die Roten to give Arsenal’s midfielders very little time on the ball. Goretzka made nine defensive actions on Tuesday, while Laimer had seven defensive actions to his name. They disrupted Arsenal’s play and gave the forwards ahead of them an ideal platform to create chances for the team.

Goretzka also played a crucial role in the final third. He timed his run to perfection in the first half to set up the goal for Gnabry. With Pavlovic expected to return for the second leg, Tuchel will be spoilt for choices in the midfield. The onus will be on Bayern to dominate at Allianz Arena. It will be intriguing to see how Tuchel tweaks the midfield setup in the second leg to help Bayern win the tie. (Stats courtesy- Fotmob)