UEFA Champions League 2020/21: Atletico Madrid vs Bayern Munich – tactical analysis

On Tuesday, Atletico Madrid welcomed Bayern Munich to the Wanda Metropolitano stadium, looking for a win that would send them to the next round. But even with a highly rotated German squad, the hosts could only get a point for their troubles despite the overall dominance throughout the game.

This tactical analysis will dissect both teams’ tactics and show you just how the game played out in this thrilling UEFA Champions League event.

Line-ups

Diego Simeone had to field a very strong XI to beat Bayern Munich. Of course, Jan Oblak was in goal and interestingly, Atletico Madrid were set up with a five-man backline just ahead of the Slovenian keeper. Yannick Carrasco was the wide man on the left but even though he’s pictured as a left-back here, that would only ever be true in the defensive phases of the latter stages of the game.

He was joined by Mario Hermoso, José Giménez, Stefan Savić, and Kieran Trippier in the backline. In midfield, Simeone opted for Saúl Ñíguez, Koke, and Marcos Llorente. Finally, up front, Ángel Correa and João Félix led the Rojiblancos’ attack.

On paper, Atlético Madrid were deployed in a 5-3-2 formation but that would shift constantly throughout the game.

Hans-Dieter Flick had little to play for in this clash, that much has to be said, so he decided to field a team of reserve players and youngsters. Alexander Nübel was chosen ahead of Manuel Neuer and was covered by a three-man backline of Niklas Süle, David Alaba, and Lucas Hernandez.

Just ahead of them, Bayern had Bright Arrey-Mbi, Javi Martínez, Jamal Musiala, and Bouna Sarr. Finally, the attacking line consisted of Leroy Sané, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, and Douglas Costa.