Analysing Bayern Munich Women — Part Seven
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 — 74 goals for, and a measly 9 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, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five and Part Six.]
Line-ups:
First Half — Physical Wolfsburg Gain Early Advantage
In the grand scheme of things, the DFB-Pokal Frauen might not mean much; however, when the teams involved are Wolfsburg and Bayern Munich, the stakes are raised almost immediately. With the two sides duelling for the Bundesliga title, it was guaranteed to result in fireworks when they met for a one-off game even in a different competition. Both coaches picked strong sides, with Bayern boasting a particularly menacing look.
As usual, Jens Scheuer picked the 4–2–3–1 shape, with Carina Wenninger and Marina Hegering as the center-backs and Hanna Glas and Amanda Ilestedt as the fullbacks. Lina Magull and Sarah Zadrazil made up the double pivot, with Linda Dallmann. Klara Bühl and Lineth Beerensteyn as wingers supporting striker Lea Schüller.
Throughout the series, I have detailed how comfortable Bayern are in the possession game. Against this, they show some discomfort when pressed, especially by sides with the technical quality to match their pressing aggression. Against Wolfsburg, Scheuer did not make the concessions he had made to Chelsea — Bayern were set up to play their usual game and press out of possession. However, Wolfsburg were equal when it came to duelling for the loose ball in midfield, as a number of passes through the middle usually turned into possession for the Wolves.
Wolfsburg would press the buildup rather aggressively, allowing the initial pass before collapsing on the ball carrier and surrounding teammates. During the initial ten minutes, Hegering and Ilestedt tried to progress the ball by hitting it along the wing to Bühl, but the latter was unable to continue the play as she was met with immediate resistance upon receiving the pass. Bayern could stabilise themselves by keeping the ball in the first line, since Wolfsburg dropped into a 4–1–4–1 shape if pressing the buildup was unsuccessful. This allowed Bayern to build from a little higher and with more time on the ball, though Wolfsburg did not cede too much space and kept the center covered.
The Bavarians saw some progress when moving down the right flank during the later moments of the first half, since Magull would drop into a half-back position prompting Glas to move higher and Dallmann to create overloads on the side. There were variations on this scheme depending on who was available; sometimes, Magull would be in advanced position with Zadrazil in the first line, other times, Wenninger could deceive Wolfsburg and break the first line herself through a carry. Occasionally, Wolfsburg’s shifting to their left could open up space on the right, and short ground passes to Ilestedt or Bühl allowed the Bavarians to gain some territory. However, Wolfsburg would jump into duels as soon as the second or third pass was made and would usually come up with the ball. They would then try to push aggressively, but the matching formations meant that Bayern also enjoyed the kind of security that the Wolves did.
Out of possession, Bayern used a 4–2–2–2 shape, with the double pivot pushing up to cover the space behind the first line of Dallmann and Schüller. The fullbacks would push high to cover the pass to their counterparts, but the Wolves were noticeably better at resisting this pressure than Munich. The fullback usually passed inside to a member of the Wolfsburg double pivot, who often moved possession with a single touch to avoid being closed down. The rapid passing meant space opened up in the middle into which Wolfsburg could drive, and Bayern then focused on getting back and defending.
The Wolves also used this short passing in advanced areas, escaping pressure to create space for their players. Bayern were aware of the threat and used their midfield to cover the options, whereas the first line focused on the box. The first goal arose out of Ilestedt taking a narrow position and allowing Wolfsburg to cross, with Munich failing to cover incoming runs at the back post. This allowed Alexandra Popp an easy shot at goal, which goalkeeper Laura Benkarth (perhaps) could have done better against. There was also a close-range opportunity for winger Svenja Huth, who missed a header from inside the six-yard box after the ball pin ponged inside.
Overall, Wolfsburg enjoyed the stronger half, with much of Bayern’s threat coming from a Dallmann shot from outside the box and Beerensteyn’s occasional dribble in transition. Early in the half, an instance of the latter looked promising; however, she was brought down by a tactical foul and the threat never materialised. The winger also had a shot saved by the keeper in first half extra time, following a sequence where Bayern executed a successful press. However, Wolfsburg struck a killer blow during first half extra time, with Huth creating the separation for a cross versus Ilestedt. Striker Pajor managed to get to the ball before Wenninger, collecting the rebound and nutmegging Benkarth from close rane.
Second Half — Offensive Fluency Proves Too Little, Too Late
The second half began with two substitutions — Wenninger was replaced by Simone Boye Sørensen and Viviane Assey came on for Dallmann. Immediately, the effect of these changes was felt in the defensive phase, with Bayern holding their midfield line deeper behind the front two of Schüller and Bühl in a 4–4–2 shape. The lower block meant that passes into the fullbacks could be defended against and their progress could be more easily stopped. Further, if the fullback passed it inside to the double pivot, they could be pressed from both directions, resulting in more security out of possession.
On the ball, Bühl occasionally moved into the middle in a dynamic 4–4–1–1 shape, with Asseyi and Beerensteyn holding the width on either flank. The dropping movement created a triangle in midfield, where Bühl or Schüller could be found between the lines by Magull or Zadrazil. Wolfsburg did press her even when she made these movements, but opened themselves up in the process since the wingers had pinned the fullbacks. Still, the wider positioning of the Bayern fullbacks and better positioning of the wingers proved beneficial, since Magull and Zadrazil formed a midfield box with the center-backs. Moving players to better positions made the pitch more expansive, which opened up gaps in which Bayern could combine.
There were some promising looking sequences for Bayern in the second half but the game–state favoured Wolfsburg, and they duly take advantage of it. The pressure was on the Bavarians which allowed the Wolves to plug essential gaps in the final third, causing Bayern moves to break down before they go. They also retained a threat on the counter, and sought to support their attackers quickly in order to utilise defensive possession of the ball. more changes from Bayern — Carolin Simon — coming on for Glas — did not make much of an impact, with Wolfsburg progressing to the final of the DfB-Pokal Frauen.
Conclusion
Once again, we saw how an opponent of matching quality could stymie Bayern’s play — Wolfsburg kept up the pressure in the first half before demonstrating impressive game management in the second. It felt as though Scheuer waited a bit longer than needed to adjust the tactics, since Bayern were getting bypassed frequently in the initial period. There also seemed to be a disconnect in the final third that wasn’t quite resolved, though this can also be attributed to good defending by the Wolves. The game made for an interesting watch given the different
