managing madrid 
30-04-2024 02:57
30-04-2024 02:57
Bayern Munich: A Team More Dangerous Than Their Bundesliga Campaign Shows
These observations — where I look at Real Madrid’s history, its players on loan, Castilla, tactical tidbits, and other relevant thoughts — are now a regular thing. All previous editions can be found here. It has been six years since one of the greatest rivalries in Champions League history — Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich — has taken place. Things have changed, mostly for Bayern. Real Madrid? They’re here, at the finish line, or damn-well close to it, perpetually.
For the last 14 years, Real Madrid have featured in the Champions League semi-finals 12 times. It is almost insulting how great they are when it matters the most, for this long. This level of consistency is extremely rare among all sports. Dynasties can last three years; five or six at most. A near-15 year stretch is, absurd. Dicing up which era belongs to what is a bit difficult — 14 years stretches from Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso to Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr — but there are players that overlap, bridge the gap, and pass the torch through a continuous stream that gains energy, pedigree, and experience along the way. It is the pizza oven that can never be replicated. Winning is baked in.
There are few players remaining from Bayern and Real respectively from that 2018 Champions League clash: Dani Carvajal, Lucas Vazquez, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Nacho Fernandez, Dani Ceballos, Thomas Muller, Joshua Kimmich, Sven Ulreich, and Manuel Neuer. David Alaba is still there, but on a different team. Stars of days past — Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos, Gareth Bale, Marcelo, Arjen Robben, Frank Ribery, Robert Lewandowski — are replaced by a new generation of bonafide game-changers.
While there is turnover and circumstances are different, one thing will probably remain a constant: It is always gruelling when these two teams face each other.
Gruelling but special, regardless of how good either team is, because this rivalry goes beyond form and players — it transcends back to their respective histories and cultures.
Bayern haven’t been at their blitzing best. This season, they ran through the Xabi Alonso buzzsaw domestically, but their problems extend far beyond just Bayer Leverkusen. They’ve lost six times in the Bundesliga and have conceded 38 goals — worse than Leverkusen, Stuttgart, Leipzig, and Dortmund.
Some of that is bad luck. Bayern have the second-best xGA in the league, and the fifth-best mark in the Big Five Leagues. Offensively, they are on fire, scoring a whopping 89 goals — the most of any team in the Big Five Leagues. Harry Kane is responsible for 42 goals in all competitions. Kane is also the most prolific-shooter in Europe, and leads everyone in goals + assists. Leroy Sane and Jamal Musiala, meanwhile, have been excellent offensive line-breakers.
(Bayern’s wingers are somewhat volatile in their form, but largely dangerous. Thomas Tuchel’s side create over 25% of their chances through dribbling, per xvalue. Sane, when healthy, can frustrate fans with his decision-making, but also has a high ceiling for creating danger and chaos through his individual brilliance.)
Kane is probably the most difficult assignment for Real Madrid’s center-backs yet. With all due respect to Erling Haaland, Kane is more mobile, and will do more than just holding up play and looking to get on the end of balls coming into the box.
Under Tuchel, Bayern are different. From on overall effectiveness of play, they are not what they were under Julian Nagelsmann, who opted for a more aggressive and fluid approach, with tons of moving parts and unpredictability from the wingers. They held a high line, wanted to the win the ball quickly, and close to the opponents’ goal.
Tuchel is more rigid and conservative, and likely will be in a two-leg cup tie against Real Madrid. Against Arsenal, Bayern, collectively, snuffed out passing lanes and stayed narrow on defense. On offense, the wingers stayed high and wide, though Musiala did flip between the middle and left. Bayern allow around 10 passes per defensive action this season (still aggressive) compared to the ultra-aggressive eight passes per defensive action last season.
As proven against Arsenal, Bayern’s ceiling in a two-legged tie is probably higher than what they’ve shown for the majority of this season. Tuchel, despite a forgettable season, is good at in-game adjustments. Bayern have line-breakers and counter-attacking threats, and don’t mind shape-shifting. That’s what contrasts them to Real Madrid’s previous opponents, Manchester City and RB Leipzig — two teams that wanted to open the match and play in transition. Tuchel will be more compact, and try to expose Real Madrid in other ways.
“In terms of quality, they are strong in transition, fast, can play in different ways and very dangerous,” Ancelotti said of Bayern in Monday’s pre-game press conference. “We are two teams that do not have a very clear identity. We can both play in different ways.”
That, in part, is what makes Bayern different than Leipzig and Manchester City: They, like Real Madrid, don’t have one singular identity, and are comfortable shape-shifting based on the opponent and game-state.
“Tactics are always a tool,” Tuchel said in Monday’s pre-game press conference. “It’s like a car, but we are the ones driving it. The players also have certain ideas throughout a match and they have to feel the freedom to be able to pass them on the pitch. It takes a mix of luck, moments and quality to eliminate a team of the stature of Real Madrid.
Like many of Real Madrid’s previous opponents, Bayern can be vulnerable under pressure, and their transition defense is liable. Their back-line doesn’t like back-peddling. Their opponents on Saturday, Eintracht Frankfurt, could’ve punished them more had they had more dangerous weapons in transition: But Tuchel will likely aim to limit chances like the one above, just as he did vs Arsenal. He knows that sequences like that will be much more devastating if led by Jude Bellingham. Slowing the game down may suit him. Kane and Musiala, supported by Guerreiro and Mazraoui (Tuchel has opted for Mazraoui as the left-back and Guerreiro just ahead of him as the left-winger — both ahead of Alphonso Davies, who has been demoted due to poor form) can push through behind Lucas Vazquez if his team stays compact and hits on the counter. Bayern, like Real Madrid, like to funnel possession on the left. From there, they can ping long diagonals to Joshua Kimmich or Sane to break opponents.
Real Madrid are the more talented team, are enjoying a much better season until now, and are coming off the back of an incredible, gutsy win at the Etihad. Everything, from a degree-of-difficulty standpoint, pales in comparison to that.
But Bayern shouldn’t be overlooked, despite their struggles this season. Tuchel, in a two-leg cup tie, is more dangerous than he has shown to be over the course of this season.
For the last 14 years, Real Madrid have featured in the Champions League semi-finals 12 times. It is almost insulting how great they are when it matters the most, for this long. This level of consistency is extremely rare among all sports. Dynasties can last three years; five or six at most. A near-15 year stretch is, absurd. Dicing up which era belongs to what is a bit difficult — 14 years stretches from Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso to Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr — but there are players that overlap, bridge the gap, and pass the torch through a continuous stream that gains energy, pedigree, and experience along the way. It is the pizza oven that can never be replicated. Winning is baked in.
There are few players remaining from Bayern and Real respectively from that 2018 Champions League clash: Dani Carvajal, Lucas Vazquez, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Nacho Fernandez, Dani Ceballos, Thomas Muller, Joshua Kimmich, Sven Ulreich, and Manuel Neuer. David Alaba is still there, but on a different team. Stars of days past — Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos, Gareth Bale, Marcelo, Arjen Robben, Frank Ribery, Robert Lewandowski — are replaced by a new generation of bonafide game-changers.
While there is turnover and circumstances are different, one thing will probably remain a constant: It is always gruelling when these two teams face each other.
Gruelling but special, regardless of how good either team is, because this rivalry goes beyond form and players — it transcends back to their respective histories and cultures.
Bayern haven’t been at their blitzing best. This season, they ran through the Xabi Alonso buzzsaw domestically, but their problems extend far beyond just Bayer Leverkusen. They’ve lost six times in the Bundesliga and have conceded 38 goals — worse than Leverkusen, Stuttgart, Leipzig, and Dortmund.
Some of that is bad luck. Bayern have the second-best xGA in the league, and the fifth-best mark in the Big Five Leagues. Offensively, they are on fire, scoring a whopping 89 goals — the most of any team in the Big Five Leagues. Harry Kane is responsible for 42 goals in all competitions. Kane is also the most prolific-shooter in Europe, and leads everyone in goals + assists. Leroy Sane and Jamal Musiala, meanwhile, have been excellent offensive line-breakers.
(Bayern’s wingers are somewhat volatile in their form, but largely dangerous. Thomas Tuchel’s side create over 25% of their chances through dribbling, per xvalue. Sane, when healthy, can frustrate fans with his decision-making, but also has a high ceiling for creating danger and chaos through his individual brilliance.)
Kane is probably the most difficult assignment for Real Madrid’s center-backs yet. With all due respect to Erling Haaland, Kane is more mobile, and will do more than just holding up play and looking to get on the end of balls coming into the box.
Under Tuchel, Bayern are different. From on overall effectiveness of play, they are not what they were under Julian Nagelsmann, who opted for a more aggressive and fluid approach, with tons of moving parts and unpredictability from the wingers. They held a high line, wanted to the win the ball quickly, and close to the opponents’ goal.
Tuchel is more rigid and conservative, and likely will be in a two-leg cup tie against Real Madrid. Against Arsenal, Bayern, collectively, snuffed out passing lanes and stayed narrow on defense. On offense, the wingers stayed high and wide, though Musiala did flip between the middle and left. Bayern allow around 10 passes per defensive action this season (still aggressive) compared to the ultra-aggressive eight passes per defensive action last season.
As proven against Arsenal, Bayern’s ceiling in a two-legged tie is probably higher than what they’ve shown for the majority of this season. Tuchel, despite a forgettable season, is good at in-game adjustments. Bayern have line-breakers and counter-attacking threats, and don’t mind shape-shifting. That’s what contrasts them to Real Madrid’s previous opponents, Manchester City and RB Leipzig — two teams that wanted to open the match and play in transition. Tuchel will be more compact, and try to expose Real Madrid in other ways.
“In terms of quality, they are strong in transition, fast, can play in different ways and very dangerous,” Ancelotti said of Bayern in Monday’s pre-game press conference. “We are two teams that do not have a very clear identity. We can both play in different ways.”
That, in part, is what makes Bayern different than Leipzig and Manchester City: They, like Real Madrid, don’t have one singular identity, and are comfortable shape-shifting based on the opponent and game-state.
“Tactics are always a tool,” Tuchel said in Monday’s pre-game press conference. “It’s like a car, but we are the ones driving it. The players also have certain ideas throughout a match and they have to feel the freedom to be able to pass them on the pitch. It takes a mix of luck, moments and quality to eliminate a team of the stature of Real Madrid.
Like many of Real Madrid’s previous opponents, Bayern can be vulnerable under pressure, and their transition defense is liable. Their back-line doesn’t like back-peddling. Their opponents on Saturday, Eintracht Frankfurt, could’ve punished them more had they had more dangerous weapons in transition: But Tuchel will likely aim to limit chances like the one above, just as he did vs Arsenal. He knows that sequences like that will be much more devastating if led by Jude Bellingham. Slowing the game down may suit him. Kane and Musiala, supported by Guerreiro and Mazraoui (Tuchel has opted for Mazraoui as the left-back and Guerreiro just ahead of him as the left-winger — both ahead of Alphonso Davies, who has been demoted due to poor form) can push through behind Lucas Vazquez if his team stays compact and hits on the counter. Bayern, like Real Madrid, like to funnel possession on the left. From there, they can ping long diagonals to Joshua Kimmich or Sane to break opponents.
Real Madrid are the more talented team, are enjoying a much better season until now, and are coming off the back of an incredible, gutsy win at the Etihad. Everything, from a degree-of-difficulty standpoint, pales in comparison to that.
But Bayern shouldn’t be overlooked, despite their struggles this season. Tuchel, in a two-leg cup tie, is more dangerous than he has shown to be over the course of this season.