Thursday, 28.03.2024

Bayern Munich – Juventus 4:2 (aet)

4:2

A 2-2 draw in Turin in the first leg set up a decisive second leg between two of the biggest clubs in the history of world football. With Bayern carrying two away goals into the game, Juve chose to play aggressively, offering Bayern something very different from what they face week-to-week in the Bundesliga and resulting in a match that was breathtaking for the spectator and a fascinating for the analyst.

Both sides had significant absentees and had to delve into their deep squads. Bayern were missing Arjen Robben as well as the defensive trio of Badstuber, Martinez and Boateng–all out with long term problems. Juve were without the experience of Marchisio and Chiellini while the potent Paulo Dybala was also sidelined.

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The starting line-ups in their base positions.

Juventus’ final third press

The main tactical headline of the game with Juventus’ aggressive yet disciplined pressing of Bayern’s initial build-up phases. They operated a semi-man-orientated pressing system with focus on controlling central zones and forbidding Bayern from making progress through the centre of the pitch via Alonso, Vidal and Müller. Pogba played in an advanced role in the left half-space while Khedira would often push up to support Morata in pressing Bayern’s centre backs and goalkeeper. They always applied pressure to the ball carrier, not giving Bayern any time to find accurate longer passes over the top of their pressure.

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Bayern’s compact pressing.

The GIF above shows are Morata, Pogba and Khedira are restriciting Bayern from making vertical passes by being horizontally compact around the ball, with Khedira tight to Alonso. Hernanes is in proximity of Müller while Sandro is ready to press Lahm, leaving no covering players for Juventus. Juve tried to anticipate the flank the ball would be played to and moved quickly and compactly to cover the space in this area. As the ball gets played over to Alaba, Cuadrado must apply pressure to Alaba, leaving space for vidal to drop into. Ever aware, Bonucci sprints forward to cover Vidal and intercept the pass into him. This type of pressing may seem gung-ho from Juventus however to stop Bayern progressing up the field, they must ensure there are no weak links in the press, meaning Bonucci has to come forward and intercept while risking a defensively vulnerable situation behind him. This high pressing from Juve was an extremely successful strategy and it exposed some of Bayern’s structural frailties in early build-up. Bayern were shocked as their initial build-up is rarely pressed, and has never been pressed this effectively.

One key factor which set Juventus’ pressing strategy apart from others who have faced Bayern, is how the pressed Neuer. Normally, Neuer’s advanced positioning and involvement in early build-up creates an overload too significant to make it worth pressing their early build up, as Bayern will simply play it around any men you commit and exploit the space behind your pressing lines.  Juventus however, anticipated passes back to Neuer and set off rapidly pressing him when it looked as if he was going to receive the ball, using cover shadows effectively to eliminate Bayern’s overload. Neuer was shaken by this and didn’t look as comfortable as usual. This pressing meant Neuer often played short passes into his centre-backs who were equally as stifled instead of his usual lobs over liens of pressure into free midfield options. He often panicked and was forced into clearances that Juve had a high chance of winning.

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Benatia is on the ball with Khedira’s body position showing him back inside Juve have 2v1 coverage on Vidal and Müller. Juve’s defensive play was aimed at stopping these two midfielders from receiving the ball. The pass is played back to Neuer. Morata presses Neuer while cover shadowing Alonso. Neuer has to rush his clearance and clears it straight to Khedira, it ricochets of Khedira into Morata whose goal is wrongly disallowed for offside.  Juventus’ general coverage and ability to follow Bayern’s movements was exceptional. In his 18 months in charge, Allegri has gradually changed Juventus from a quintessentially Italian side with three exceptional centre-backs and the guile of Pirlo at regista who would dominate with slow possession in Serie A while setting up defensively in big European nights to a team full of athletes dogged in nature. In their off-the-ball play, they were at times reminiscent of Mourinho’s 04/05 Chelsea in their physical nature.

Juventus pressed high throughout the whole of the match, although as the match progressed they understandably tired and struggled to cover as much ground. The intensity and compactness decreased and Bayern found it easier to play through them and exploit space upfield. Bayern used the pace of Ribery and Costa to terrorise the Juventus defence running towards their own goal. Overall, however, Juventus’ pressing was a strategic masterclass from Allegri.

Juve’s own half defensive play

As expected, when Bayern had possession in Juventus’ half the Italians put all eleven men deep behind the ball. Sandro moved into a left-wingback position, giving Juventus a five-chain which combatted Bayern’s ability to create their usual 3v2 wing overloads, stopped Müller and Costa from running riot on the right-hand side, and meant that the centre-backs within the five-chain could push forward to follow a man into midfield and not leave huge gaps behind them. Borussia Dortmund showed the effectiveness of a five-at-the-back versus Bayern earlier this month.

When Bayern had possession in the middle third of the field but in Juve’s half (so the fourth-sixth of the field), Juventus used Morata and their midfield players to keep a compact shape on the side the ball was on, restricting vertical, ground-level passes from Bayern’s deep midfielders and centre-backs.

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Juve’s centrally compact midfield shape.

For most of the match, Juve’s own half defensive play was good. They restricted Bayern from getting the ball into feet in ‘Zone 14’ very well. Lichsteiner would be tight to Ribery when the Frenchman won the ball, meaning Ribery couldn’t knock it into space behind Lichsteiner. Sandro tracked Müller very well when the Raumdeuter was in wide areas and Bonucci restricted Müller’s movements into the ten-space very well also.

As the game moved into its later stages, Juve did start to struggle defensively. They didn’t have the energy to sprint towards Bayern’s wingers to stop crosses, and Pogba was often defensively liable. As I’ll explain in the next section of the analysis, the more Bayern committed to attack, the more Juve struggled.

Bayern’s final third attacking strategy

In the first half, Bayern struggled in the final third. Alaba would push forward into the left halfspace while Ribery would stay out wide. Vidal and Alonso would be involved in deeper possession, Müller would push on and Costa would cut in from the wing into the halfspace. Somewhat due to Juve’s good defensive play, the Bavarians struggled to get the ball into feet in the dangerous central areas where they usually use good combination play to breach the opposition’s defensive line.

Bayern seemed too static while in possession, with players struggling to make effective rotations in the final third. This was possibly due to the fact 8 of the 11 starting players also started against Werder Bremen at the weekend.

Midway through the first half, Ribery moved into a more central position, as Bayern weren’t getting any joy down the flanks as Juventus often doubled up 2v1 very effectively with Cuadrado and Lichsteiner both took care of Ribery while Barzagli, part of a five-chain of course, could occupy Alaba in the left halfspace. This worked well for Bayern, allowing them to keep the ball in the fnal third in the central column of the pitch, something that was not possible beforehand.

ribery comes inside

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The above scene shows how Ribery moving inside made a difference. It gave Bayern an extra presence to keep possession in the dangerous ‘zone 14′ while looking for gaps in the Juve back line. In this case, Ribery and Costa are 2v1 on Khedira. Khedira moves across to press Ribery while Ribery moves it to Costa, who is now being tracked by Hernanes who has had to move out of the defensive line to apply pressure to him. This (also due to some lazy defending from Pogba) opens the gap from Costa to play it into Müller who has a good chance on goal.

Although Cuadrado did score from a counter-attack, having Morata to thank for some exceptional individual play, Bayern’s gegenpressing and defensive transition structure was effective, often pinning Juve in their own first quarter for large periods of the game as they struggled to clear their lines.

Bernat came on at half time for Benatia while Alaba dropped back to centre-back. A key Bayern substitution and one that changed the match was on the sixtieth minute when Alonso came off for Coman. Vidal became a lone pivot while Costa moved into a central position. Costa would drop deep to receive the ball from the centre-backs and then use his dribbling skills to move it into the final third, something that worked well. Bayern tend to look a lot more dynamic without Alonso on the field. His partnership with Vidal has been questionable this season as the footballing synergy between the pair doesn’t seem to be there.

Bayern began to cross the ball into the area more as the game went on. This became a more effective strategy as Juve became less able to apply quick ball pressure in the latter stages of the game. Bayern threw more men onto Juventus’ centre backs and basically played the odds of Müller and Lewandowski running onto crosses 2v2 with Barzagli and Bonucci. Crossing was a very sound strategy considering Buffon is now no longer as commanding in his penalty area when it comes to collecting crosses.

Ribery also became effective as Juventus legs tired. Back in his left-wing area he received the ball with space and attacked the Juventus defence with the ball at his feet.

As I mentioned, Bayern overloaded the centre of the pitch more as the match went on. They began to focus on overloading central areas more and more. Below is an example of how the managed to successfully deliver the ball into Thomas Müller’s feet in the ten-space in the build-up to Bayern’s equalising goal.

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Müller receives the ball in a dangerous area due to the 3v3 situation Bayern have created.

This is as typical an incident of Bayern creating space as you’ll see. Lahm has moved forward in the right halfspace on Evra. Coman and Ribery are in wide positions, enticing Juve’s two wingbacks wide. This creates the initial 3v3 situation in the centre. Costa, as he did for most of the last half hour, has received the ball in a deep area. Lewandowski makes a decoy run infield, Barzagli of course stays tight to him however Bonucci is distracted by this run of a player into his zone. Müller can therefore pull off Bonucci and into this space that has been created. Vidal moves up to support him. Müller’s pass to Vidal is cut out by Evra however Vidal immediately challenges him and plays the ball wide to Coman who has acres of space. Coman picks out Müller who has continued his run into the box unmarked. Tör!

Conclusion

Although not in the very late stages of the competition, this match will certainly go down as one of the best in Champions League history. Juventus shocked us all, Pep Guardiola included, and showed why they will become Italian champions once again this season.

For Bayern, it was a story of perseverance. They continued with their overall gameplan and philosophy throughout the game with minor tweaks from Pep as well as some inspired substitutions gave Bayern the goals which, in the end, they deserved.

Bayern’s weaknesses were exposed and I’m sure Rui Vitoria will pick up on these in the run up to Bayern’s quarter-final match against Benfica. The character Bayern showed in adversity was remarkable, and is something they will need to carry forward throughout the competition to deliver Guardiola a Champions League trophy in his final match as Bayern boss.

Tuiuan Almeida Veloso March 22, 2016 um 4:31 am

I think Allegri was brilliant, and deserves much more respect as a coach than he gets, but the style of play that he likes is too damn intense sometimes. By the end of the match, players were running on fumes. The team had a lot of ground to cover after a very bad Serie A start, and I think it didn’t help Allegri to have some room to rotate his squad. And they definetly could have used Coman, or at least he would have not crossed to Thomas Müller if he’d been sitting in the Juventus bench 😛 .

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TT March 23, 2016 um 7:21 pm

Exactly, good assessment. The decision to let Coman go was very strange to say the least.

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Jon March 24, 2016 um 4:44 pm

I think Coman’s loan with buy had a lot to do with Coman’s wishes. In August Allegri was doggedly throwing him into every XI as if trying to persuade him to stay.

Ultimately, I think Coman is playing in a much better place for him (I am a Juve fan, for the record). The Bundesliga, like La Liga, is a good mix of tactical and dynamic, whereas Serie A is tactical and slow and the EPL is breakneck pace with no coherence. With Bayern, Coman learns his position and then exploits matchups with defenders who are slaves to the whims of his pace.

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Adriel March 21, 2016 um 8:31 am

Didnt understand why Morata was taken out, I thought he will be vital to Juventus game plan for this second leg tie.
Especially when Juventus was sitting deep during the whole sec half, he will be the best outlet if there is any counter attack. Mandzukic couldnt do just so.

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TT March 21, 2016 um 8:26 pm

Morata was removed too early. Mandzukic isn’t really dynamic enough to play in a match like that and if Dybala was fit Juve would have been much better off.

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Jon March 24, 2016 um 4:46 pm

Was Zaza unavailable? Also, like you write about, the rest of the squad wasn’t up to continuing with their demanding organized press.

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blub March 18, 2016 um 11:31 pm

Watching Alonso was just a pain in the ass.
He put more pressure on Bayerns buid up than Khedira, Morata and Pogba combined.

I just wished Boateng was healthy he would put Morata in a bottle and tell him to shut up for 180 minutes. Bayern lacks his physical capabilities in the back. Benatia is just not good enough.

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TT March 19, 2016 um 9:38 am

Alonso is frustrating to watch sometimes and does struggle when placed under pressure, the Porto first leg last season is a perfect example of this.
Yeah Boateng has been (probably) the best centre back in Europe over the last couple of years. Having him as well as Martinez and Badstuber injured is a blow any team in the world would struggle to cope with.

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Jon March 24, 2016 um 4:49 pm

I remember one particular instance where Neuer came out and screamed at Benatia. He seems an able defender, but not quite on top of Bayern’s more involved possession schemes.

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leko27 March 18, 2016 um 9:59 pm

The web-sites which are dedicated for tactical analysis, spielverlagerung.com is one of the best but sometimes overly intelectualised and complacent. Anyway, thanks 😉

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TT March 19, 2016 um 9:34 am

I understand your qualms. I always try to break it down as clearly as possible for the reader however obviously it doesn’t always come across as it does in my head. It would also be a bit tedious having to explain things again and again in every analysis so I recommend using our ‘tactical theory’ section to familiarise yourself with the more complex concepts I discuss. There are some sites that give basic-level tactical analysis and that is fine however I think spielverlagerung is known for producing some of the highest level analysis out there, so that is what we’ll continue to aim to do. Thanks.

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Jon March 24, 2016 um 4:50 pm

If there is any other website remotely like this one, I’d love to check it out. links?

My only ‘qualm’ with spielverlagerung is that they don’t publish every day! Thanks for your work

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TT March 24, 2016 um 9:54 pm

Hi Jon,

Check out constantineckner.com, 13steps.co, thetacticsroom.com among others. Get following me (@flyingwingback) and other tactics people on twitter and you’ll find a load more.

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Jon April 2, 2016 um 10:06 pm

It seems to me that most of the football journalism out there is the classic drivel one encounters in normal sports journalism: effort and spirit among all sorts of narratives utterly unrelated to the actual competition. It’s rare to find writers with impetus for uncovering the deeper workings. I heard somewhere recently that Guardiola himself was such a writer before being called back into service for his barca.

13steps seems great. Thanks for the links, and you can count me among your followers! Cheers!

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