On Saturday evening, the Bundesliga saw two of the best German teams from last season — 2023/24 runners-up Stuttgart and third-placed FC Bayern — face off.
Vincent Kompanys Bayern Munich, mainly through a dominant second half, defended their position at the top of the 2024/25 table, while Sebastian Hoeneßs Stuttgart had an unusually low amount of ball possession.
This tactical analysis, which is a post-match analysis, will go into detail on the key tactics that impacted the outcome of this game.
Stuttgarts Attacking Pressing Vs Typical Munich Build-Up Play
Under Stuttgart started with a high press in their classic 4-4-2 pressing formation.
Stuttgart hybrid press in space but in a player-oriented manner, continuously directing Bayern into pressure on one side.
The numerical disadvantage caused by Bayern’s goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer — playing as a sweeper, is repeatedly balanced out with the help of Deniz Undav and Ermedin Demirović, who create cover shadows.
Bayern’s 3-1 build-up (with Neuer making it 4-1), often featuring Kimmich dropping deep as the pivot, is countered particularly well by Atakan Karazor and Angelo Stiller, who shows excellent risk/reward judgment.
The two Stuttgart defensive midfielders are rarely drawn out of the centre, instead covering for each other effectively.
At the same time, one can push out situationally to apply man-oriented pressure on Bayern’s back three.
This is especially important because it makes it difficult for Bayern to find their attackers in Stuttgart’s last defensive line.
The central space remains closed, and the passing lane to the dropping Kane can be blocked.
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