Bundesliga 2021/22: How Bayern overcame Dortmund in a top of the table clash – tactical analysis

On Sunday afternoon, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich went head-to-head in a Bundesliga fixture with heavy title race implications  as per usual. Had Borussia Dortmund been able to pull off the win at home they would have leapfrogged their title rivals, but instead, it was Bayern Munich that came through with a late winner to take all three points and extend their lead at the table to four points. For Bayern to surmount such a lead at the top of the table coming into the Christmas break will be music to Bayern fans’ ears who have become accustomed to them putting together stronger second half of the season runs in recent years.

It was an even game, with Bayern’s 1.96xG edging Borussia Dortmund’s 1.36 xG but in truth, it was a very open game where both sides would have felt they deserved the three points on the day.

This tactical analysis will break down some of the key tactics seen in this game, providing an analysis on where both sides looked to impose their game on the other.

Line-ups

Both teams lined up in a 4-2-3-1. For Dortmund, Gregor Kobel started in goal with a back four of Raphael Guerreiro and Thomas Meunier at full-back, with Manuel Akanji and Mats Hummels partnering one another in the centre of defence. In midfield, Mahmoud Dahoud and Emre Can worked as a double pivot, with Dortmund then utilising a very fluid attacking trio. Jude Bellingham lined up on the left, however, at times would drift inside, even if he also did a stellar job providing a wide presence at times too, whilst Julian Brandt operated on the right. Marco Reus started as the 10 but would push up to join Erling Haaland upfront at times, particularly in the second half where there were moments he was even further ahead than his Norwegian teammate.

Bayern lined up in their lopsided 4-2-3-1 with Dayot Upamecano and Lucas Hernandez at centre-back together and Manuel Neuer behind them in goal. Benjamin Pavard played at right-back and Alphonso Davies at left-back. Pavard was restricted in how far he pushed forward, often sitting deep enough to allow Davies to push up the entirety of the left-flank. This in turn provided the freedom for Leroy Sane to drift inside. Leon Goretzka and Corentin Tolisso started as the double pivot with Thomas Muller in front of them in a free role. Kingsley Coman started on the right and played very high on this flank over the course of the game. In attack, Coman and Davies would regularly stretch the width of the pitch, allowing the likes of Sane and Muller the freedom to drift into different spaces in central areas and cause problems for Dortmund’s defence. Robert Lewandowski started upfront.

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