#4 Three man defence and team selection against Barcelona.
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Bayern Munich, managed by Pep Guardiola, were facing the high-flying Catalans in the semi-finals of the Champions League 2014-15. The first leg was at the Nou Camp and although Barcelona were the favourites, Bayern would have hoped to remain in the contention by having a solid game.
In a shocking tactical move, Bayern played with a 3 man defence of Boateng, Benatia and Rafinha. Rafinha being a right footed player was played on the left side of the defence to man-mark Messi. Bayern played a total man marking system with each and every player marking one opposition player.
This turned out to be a total disaster as Barcelona got chance after chance and Bayern struggled to keep up. Within 15 minutes of the first half, Pep had to change back to a 4 man defence. It seemed like the trick had worked and Bayern could hold on to a 0-0 draw with this system.
But the biggest mistake as it turned out to be was playing three veterans in the midfield in such a high-intensity match. Philipp Lahm, Xabi Alonso and Bastian Schweinsteiger were playing in the midfield and with all of them on the wrong side of 30, the tiring legs cost them in the final 15 minutes of the match. They struggled to keep up with the Barcelona midfield and attack and ended up conceding 3 goals in the last 15 minutes with no reply.
The match was to be remembered for Messi’s masterclass and his dribble against Boateng that led to the second goal, but Pep knew his mistakes had cost them the match and subsequently the Champions League.
