Bayern Munich have secured their first trophy of the season, as they defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup. The game was, in no way, one-sided. The xG may have portrayed a game that leaned heavily on Bayern’s side but there was more to it.
Following the win, Jonathan Tah spoke about what titles and winning mean at Bayern. “A title always means a lot. In the end, it’s about winning the game, and we succeeded in doing that. We showed that we’re ready, hungry and that we give our all on the pitch,” he said, per @iMiaSanMia.
At first glance, this statement is doing very little. However, in the context of tonight’s events, it perhaps deserves further inspection.
BFW Commentary
Times are changing. Against Dortmund, Bayern employed a very different lineup than the one we are familiar with. The abrupt tactical changes seen tonight and even the one seen against FC Heidenheim are reflective of one thing — this is no longer the same Bayern. Tactically and spatially, the team is very different than we are used to. Barring the flanks where everything is still the same, there are changes everywhere. Harry Kane lies deeper than ever, defensive players are progressing forward more often, and this is as positionally fluid as we have seen the club.
But why? Why do anything at all to a system that has historically served the team well? Even with its faults, this system was quintessentially Bayern!
The only plausible explanation is that this is in direct response to a likely future injury crisis and the acute player shortage we are facing now. Take for example, the position of attacking midfielder, played by Nathaniel Brown in this game. The options in that spot would be either of these three — Serge Gnabry, Lennart Karl or Jamal Musiala. And neither of them were available.
A fluid setup is the most shock absorbing setup possible. It stretches the players to their limits but keeps things running in any circumstance. There is no more concept of “only X must occupy said space” — in this system, anyone could be X!
Players know better than anyone how incredibly draining this system can be. Because this provides a PHYSICAL and a COGNITIVE load to players that in fact can drop performance levels if they are appropriately managed. This increases the need for timely substitutions and makes the players more reliant than ever on the manager’s timely judgements.
If it were that tough, why would they make the choice of agreeing to play this way? In this context, Tah’s statement holds more value than ever. Winning is that important at Bayern that players are willing to do anything to get there.
Or perhaps, Kompany’s forgetting this tactic next week and everything’s back to normal. Who knows?
Join the conversation!
Sign up for a user account and get:
- New, improved notifications system!
- Fewer ads
- Create community posts
- Comment on articles, community posts
- Rec comments, community posts