Bundesliga 2018/19: Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich

In the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich lost their encounter with Bayer Leverkusen. Leverkusen dominated in the early stages of the clash but the guests took control of the game and revealed some issues of the home side. Kovac’s man won the first half with a goal by Leon Goretzka, but Leverkusen made a comeback in the second half with a great free kick and two counter-attack goals. This tactical analysis will explore these crucial factors of the game.

Team news

Bayern opted for their usual 4-2-3-1 formation which transformed into a 4-4-1-1 or 4-5-1 in defence with Thomas Muller and Kingsley Coman dropping to the midfield line. On the other hand, the recently appointed former Borussia Dortumund coach Peter Bosz employed his trademark 4-3-3 with the same intense manner. The expectation towards Leverkusen and Boszs system is quite high since the fans hope he will utilise the potential of their young talents, especially Kai Havertz.

Early exchanges

Leverkusen started with a high intensity that appeared in high pressing and aggressive counter-pressing. This can be an effective weapon to score early on since this aims to force to opponent back and not let them escape the pressure to breathe. Therefore, when they lost possession, Leverkusen counter-pressed with a man-oriented fashion to quickly win the ball back.

Even at goal kicks they stayed high. On these occasions, full-backs Wendell and Mitchell Weiser pushed forward to pin the opposite full-backs. This meant Jonathan Tah could be left in a one-on-one situation with Coman if Bayern bypassed the press. This will be important later.