Things are getting very tight at the top of the Bundesliga with Leipzig determinedly challenging for the title and putting an almost decade-long Bayern Munich’s dominance to the test. Only two points separate the two of them and Bayern Munich faced rivals Borussia Dortmund in an important match over the weekend.
Dortmund have recently lost steam and are currently in 6th place, a point behind Leverkusen and 4 points behind the Champions League spot. With just 11 games left to go, both of them will look to gain momentum heading into the final phase of the season. This tactical analysis focuses on the tactics deployed by both teams. Let’s begin the analysis.
Lineups
Flick made a couple of changes to the team that beat FC Koln last weekend. Thomas Muller and Kingsley Coman replaced teenager Jamal Musiala and Eric Choupo-Moting. While Dortmund, on the other hand, changed their setup from a 4-2-3-1 into a 3-4-3 system that saw Dan-Axel Zagadou, Thomas Meunier, Nico Schulz and Thorgan Hazard replace Jude Bellingham, Giovanni Reyna, Raphael Guerreiro and the injured Jadon Sancho.
Dortmund’s direct approach takes Bayern by surprise
Dortmund had a clear plan going into the game. They knew they will not be contesting toe-to-toe with Bayern in terms of positional play or possession but would look to drag them higher up and hit them on the counter. But they also added an additional strategy to their attack that is to play long-balls to their front-3 and look to win second balls in the final third. The common duels seen yesterday were Davies vs Reus and Haaland vs Boateng/Alaba. Sule being very tall would not be subjected to long balls and Dortmund would only target the central and their right-wing area.
