Over the weekend, the BayArena hosted a battle between first and second place in the Bundesliga; Bayer Leverkusen against Bayern Munich. This tactical analysis will take a closer look into both side’s tactical setups, and why it ended up as a victory for the away side.
Leverkusen, led by Peter Bosz, had enjoyed an unbeaten start to the domestic campaign before this match, leaving them in the lofty position of first place in the league. Bosz’s flexible tactics have allowed Die Werkself to adjust to their opponents accordingly so far this term, and this analysis will break down how they set up here.
Bayern Munich, managed by Hansi Flick, have shown their vulnerabilities in the past few fixtures, most recently against Union Berlin, where they struggled with their direct style of play. In this analysis, we will detail how they grew into this game over time, and what approach they took with a new-look midfield.
Lineups
Leverkusen (4-3-3): Lukáš Hrádecký; Aleksandar Dragović, Jonathan Tah, Edmond Tapsoba, Daley Sinkgraven; Julian Baumgartlinger, Florian Wirtz, Nadiem Amiri; Leon Bailey, Patrik Schick, Moussa Diaby.
Bosz has been contending with injuries in the squad since the start of the season, but more recently we have seen Exequiel Palacios, Sven Bender, and Lars Bender succumb to injuries, which has seen the likes of Dragović get starts at right-back and Baumgartlinger as a deeper central midfielder. In this game, they stuck with their tried and tested 4-3-3, but Lucas Alario was a notable omission upfront.
