Bayern Munich Vs Augsburg [1-2] – Bundesliga 2025/2026: Bayern’s First League Defeat – Tactical Analysis

Last Saturday at the Allianz Arena, what was billed as another step toward domestic dominance instead became a moment of introspection and strategic recalibration.

In a game dissected by pretty much every media outlet in Germany, Bayern Munich and Augsburg contested a derby rich in nuance and momentum swings.

In a dramatic twist, the visitors emerged 2–1 winners, handing Bayern their first Bundesliga defeat of the 2025/2026 campaign.

It was a night where possession-based tactics and Vincent Kompany’s style of play collided with physical freshness, squad rotation, and late-game intensity, ultimately shaping an outcome few predicted.

Under the eyes of Vincent Kompany, Bayern began the match on the front foot, dictating possession and carving out openings that culminated in an early lead from Hiroki Itō’s header.

Yet the hosts’ control gradually loosened as the second half unfolded, and Augsburg’s measured approach, rooted in compact defending, secured transitions and opportunistic pressing, reaped rewards in quick succession when Arthur Chaves and Han-Noah Massengo turned the game on its head for Manuel Baum.

This clash was, in many ways, a study in contrasting strategic intent: Bayern’s attempt to build through possession and vertical combinations, versus Augsburg’s disciplined structure that sought to absorb pressure and exploit moments on the counter.

In our post-match tactical analysis, we’ll explore how substitutions, phases of play, and decisive tactical moments influenced the game’s flow, and why this result may well give some teams across the Bundesliga landscape a blueprint for the weeks ahead.

Lineups & Formations

FC Bayern decided to go into the season with a rather shallow squad, and it currently shows, especially with the additional stress of the UEFA Champions League.

Kompany tries to have some rotation, but is still forced to play the majority of his starters at all times.

In goal, Jonas Urbig once again got some playing time over Manuel Neuer, simply for the reason of development for the young goalkeeper.

The back-four consisted of Jonathan Tah and Kim Min-jae in the centre, Alphonso Davies as right-back and Hiroki Itō on the left defensive side.

In midfield, Kompany decided to rest Joshua Kimmich and played with a double-pivot of Aleksandar Pavlović and Leon Goretzka, with young Lennart Karl playing in attacking midfield once again.

On the right side, Michael Olise got the start and formed the duo on the wings with Luis Díaz on the opposite side.

In attack, Harry Kane played as the lone striker, capping off the usual 4-2-3-1 formation for FC Bayern.

Manuel Baum and FC Augsburg decided on a completely different approach because they obviously were the heavy underdog in this game.

The returning manager decided to play with a 3-4-2-1 formation, focusing more on the phase against the ball.

Finn Dahmen started in goal, with Cédric Zesiger, skipper Keven Schlotterbeck, and newly signed Arthur Chaves playing as the three centre-backs in front of him.

Dimitris Giannoulis and Robin Fellhauer played as the two wing-backs, and Elvis Rexhbecaj and Han-Noah Massengo played as the double-pivot in between them.

The two attacking midfielders were Alexis Claude-Maurice on the left and Swiss international Fabian Rieder on the right, with Anton Kade playing as a striker, meaning Augsburg played without a traditional striker once again.

Bayern Dominate, Augsburg Resist

The roles were pretty clearly distributed coming into the game.

Bayern are playing one of the most dominant seasons ever in the Bundesliga, while FC Augsburg are stuck in the relegation battle once again, having already switched coaches by firing Sandro Wagner and hiring Manuel Baum.

Therefore, Bayern dominated possession from the start, eventually holding about 70%, while Augsburg focused on defending their goal and trying to create counterattack opportunities.

With the game being in the midst of a rather stressful stretch of the season for Kompany and his men, Bayern tried to control the pace of the game and didn’t show a very high intensity throughout the start of the game.

Augsburg did not fall back into a deep block from the start, though; instead, they at least tried to control the areas through which Bayern was building up and moving into the opposing half.