Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund: Tactical analysis

Bayern Munich dumped holders Borussia Dortmund out of the DFB Pokal with a narrow 1-0 win which belied the amount of influence the Bavarians truly had in the game. It was a rare instance of Jurgen Klopp’s men failing to be spectacular in attack, while their defence was only redeemed thanks to some wonderful goalkeeping from Weidenfeller. Here is a tactical analysis of the game.

Chess on a football pitch

The opening half an hour of the fixture, before Bayern moved up the gears and seized control of the game, was an intriguing battle in midfield, with Bayern on the offensive, and Dortmund nullifying their moves. Several attempts to get the ball out to Lahm, Robben and Alaba were cut out by the Dortmund defence, with Muller playing a lesser role in attack than usual. Dortmund themselves, however, did not venture forward too often, and this was perhaps what set the tone for the game, which was largely played in Dortmund’s half. The ploy was a dangerous one from Klopp though as with Bayern’s quality, one or two balls were bound to slip through, and they did. The hope, perhaps, in that case, was that there would be crosses sent into the box which would be dealt with by Santana and co. but it was good interplay through the middle which led to the undoing of the current cup-holders.

Who’s going to score a goal tonight?

As mentioned above, Borussia Dortmund approached the game with a conservative mindset, not looking to attack nearly as often as they usually do, and never really committing out-and-out to attack, even when they were a goal down. Most of the attempts that Dortmund mustered were either from set-pieces, or from long range efforts, which were never really going to beat Manuel Neuer. Lewandowski was virtually shut-out from the game with just one tame effort at goal, while Reus and Gotze had a combined total of one attempt between the two of them. In fact, it was Gundogan who had the most efforts with 3, including one from a lay off by Lewandowski which required a good save, while Piszczek rounded off Dortmund’s attacking pressure with a shot of his own. With such few attempts on target, one may believe it is Bayern’s defence to be praised, but in reality, at least for yesterday night, it was the lack of conviction from the visitors.

That gem called Mandzukic

Week after week, game after game, last season’s star for Bayern, Mario Gomez sits on the bench, wondering where he went wrong. While he does receive a reasonable amount of playing time, the real star in attack for Bayern, this season, has been new recruit, Mario Mandzukic. Yesterday night was no different, as the Croatian star, who rose to fame at the Euros last year, gave Schmelzer and Santana the runaround, thereby creating plenty of space for Martinez, Kroos and Robben to work their magic. He even had a couple of good attempts denied by Weidenfeller, particularly with a header after a delicate chip from Schweinsteiger. He might have also contributed to a goal, if not wrongfully deemed offside when his header came back into play after hitting the crossbar, and could have been put over the line if in play. A nearly perfect night for the striker, who might well be rested over the weekend, and come back to torment Arsenal at the Allianz Arena.

Grosskreutz as an inadequate replacement for Blaszczykowski

Lesser pace, lesser tenacity, and poorer delivery; in short, Grosskreutz was not, and in all likelihood, will never be an able replacement for Jakub Blaszczykowski. Of course, the fact that the Polish midfielder is one of the top brood in his position does not make it any easier for Grosskreutz, but being completely overwhelmed by the occasion is something that Dortmund fans won’t easily forgive. Starting the game in place of Kuba, who had question marks over his fitness, the German midfielder was virtually invisible throughout his stay on the pitch, and did very little to stop Lahm from marauding down the flank either. Jurgen Klopp might have been better serviced by playing Kuba for the first 45 minutes, putting his team on more level pegging with Bayern, and then deciding whether or not to make a substitution at half-time.