Bundesliga 19/20: Hoffenheim vs Bayern Munich – tactical analysis

After having defeated Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League midweek, there were some concerns that Bayern Munich would come out flat against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. Those worries were quelled quite early as Bayern began in the second minute and put five more in the net to stay at the top of the Bundesliga. 

This tactical analysis looks to understand the tactics that Hansi Flick’s Bayern Munich used to defeat Alfred Schreuder’s Hoffenheim by a score of 6-0. Bayern were able to achieve this massive result in a match where the actual competition was prematurely ended after their ultras unveiled a banner aimed at Hoffenheim’s owner that was deemed offensive enough to halt play, resulting in almost all 22 players passing the ball to one another for the final 15 minutes.

Lineups

Hoffenheim came out in their 4-2-3-1 formation with Oliver Baumann in goal. Steven Zuber and Sebastian Rudy started the match as outside backs, with Zuber on the left and Rudy on the right. The centre back pairing consisted of Benjamin Hübner and Havard Nordtveit. That means three of the starting four defenders primarily ply their trade as midfielders. Diadie Samassékou and Florian Grillitsch were the two holding midfielders, with Jacob Bruun Larsen, Christoph Baumgartner, and Robert Skov in front of them from the left side of the pitch to the right. Finally, Ihlas Bebou was the lone striker on the day.

Hansi Flick sent his men out in the same formation but saw much more success than his opponents from Hoffenheim. Manuel Neuer played in goal with Alphonso Davies, David Alaba, Jérôme Boateng, and Benjamin Pavard in front of him as the back four. Bayern’s two holding midfielders were Thiago and Joshua Kimmich. In front of the holding defenders were Philippe Coutinho on the left, Thomas Müller in the centre, and Serge Gnabry on the right, with 18-year-old Joshua Zirkzee starting as the striker, replacing the injured Robert Lewandowski.