Analysing Bayern Munich Women — Part Four
Having analysed Hansi Flick’s Bayern Munich in the past, I wanted to examine the tactical framework of FC Bayern’s women’s side, who currently rank first in the Frauen-Bundesliga (two points ahead of Wolfsburg). The team’s goalscoring and defensive record (at the time of writing) is scarcely believable — 73 goals for, and a measly 8 against. They are by far the Bundesliga’s most potent side — Wolfsburg rank second in goals scored, with 59 across the 19 games played so far. Through this series, I wanted to analyse the games that Bayern have played in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, in a bid to understand the trends that underpin this team’s tactical framework.
[Previous posts in the series: Part One, Part Two and Part Three.]
Line-ups:
First Half — Rosengård Pressing Puts Bayern on the Backfoot
In the first leg, we saw how Rosengård coach Jonas Eideval utilised a 4–5–1 medium press against Bayern. While the hosts ran away with the win in that game, the crucial factor was how Rosengård were able to put them on the backfoot with increased aggression in the second half. It occurred to me that a high pressing scheme might be Eideval’s solution for the second leg, and it turns out that I was not too far from what Rosengård ultimately implemented.
For this game, Jens Scheuer continued with the 4–2–3–1 structure, making just one change with Carolin Simon replacing Klara Bühl. It was clear that Simon would play as the left winger, with Lineth Beerensteyn on the right and Lea Schüller leading the line.
At the outset, it has to be noted that Bayern pressed with characteristic vigour and intensity, sending multiple players to the flanks whenever Rosengård played the ball to the fullbacks. As seen previously, the scheme was man-oriented — all nearby options would be marked, with Lina Magull pushing ahead from her position in the double pivot to take on an assignment. This resulted in some seemingly chaotic scenes, but Bayern were always in control over how they were pressing. Supporting this scheme from the base of the midfield was Sarah Zadrazil, who routinely stepped out of position to intercept passes into the center and turn them into advantages for the Bavarians. If necessary, this role could also fall to defender Marina Hegering, who nearly scored after intercepting possession and continuing her run.
Rosengård could have pulled more players behind the ball to support the buildup, but this would have the dual impact of negating their offensive threat and empowering Bayern to press. In this scheme, they had some difficulty playing out of the back, but quick combinations occasionally allowed Rosengård playmaker Jelena Čanković to drive into the space behind Bayern’s pressing line. However, Bayern were always quick to recover, falling into a 4–4–2 shape before duelling for possession in midfield.
The most significant part of the first half was Rosengård’s press (see above), which put Bayern under the kind of pressure we haven’t often seen them face. The scheme used was a narrow 4–3–3 shape, with wingers pressing the center-backs and the striker (#22 Olivia Schough) guarding the lane into Magull. Zadrazil often dropped to the side in these scenes, which called for pressure from left winger Fiona Brown. This corresponded with midfielder Caroline Seger pushing up to press Bayern fullback Hanna Glas, since Bayern’s usual route was either to hit long passes from goalkicks or to go from the center-back to the fullback via one of the central midfielders (Zadrazil).
With Simon, Beerensteyn, Dallmann and Schüller staying in advanced positions, Rosengård’s press was executed to good effect, as Zadrazil and Magull were put under the kind of pressure that Ajax were simply unable to create. While they were secure enough to not concede possession (Hegering, Wenninger and keeper Benkarth are all proficient with the ball at their feet), accessing even the far side fullback (Amanda Ilestedt) proved difficult, with Glas looking to play it forward in the lane to Beerensteyn who could then drive against a retreating defence. It worked on a couple of occasions, but Bayern were mostly forced into conservative possession during this phase. This was a testament to Rosengård’s execution, though they failed to score even in what was their stronger phase across the two legs.
Second Half — Bayern Advantage Leads to Settled Game State
With Bayern leading 4–0 on aggregate and 1–0 on the night, there was no reason to push for another. Scheuer made his changes accordingly, pulling his team into a medium block/press and letting Rosengård have more of the ball. In possession, Dallmann and Beerentsteyn took up more conservative positions to aid in ball retention. This was accompanied by a triple substitution in the 57th minute, with Schüller, Zadrazil and Hegering being taken off.
Rosengård continued to press as they had in the first half, and probed when in possession after Bayern had taken up a more conservative defensive plan. They tried to progress centrally and shift Schough out on the wing for 1v1 opportunities against Glas, and brought on a conventional striker in Mimmi Larsson to help salvage the game. This created a game state that did not change therafter, as both sides sought to attack in numbers and fall back when out of possession. Ultimately, the Bayern defence held firm enough to abstain from conceding, with their early goal on the evening and dominant display in Munich proving sufficient to see them through.
Conclusion
We can argue that Jonas Eideval should have implemented the press from the start, but Bayern are the kind of team who only the bravest coaches would attack from the outset. They are also clinical — Rosengård’s performance was not so bad as to merit being 3–0 down in the first leg, but Bayern were adept at converting their opportunities and not letting the opposition get into threatening areas. That being said, the semi-finals are set up to be extremely intriguing, as Bayern face their biggest challenge so far — Emma Hayes and her absurdly talented Chelsea side.
