‘The end of an era’: How rising FC Bayern’s defeat of fading Wolfsburg represents changing Frauen-Bundesliga dynamics – tactical analysis

For the last 10 years, the Frauen-Bundesliga has been a tale of two teams battling it out with each other to secure the league title and to get their hands on the Meisterschale der Frauen.

Most of those years, Wolfsburg Frauen have prevailed and have held off Bayern Munich Frauen, with the former lifting the trophy in five of those years and the latter just four (not including the current season). However, the sands of time are shifting, and a changing of the guard appears to be taking place in the German womens game, with Bayern Munich winning the title last season and on course to retain it this time around, and the good feeling around the club will have only been increased by their comprehensive 4-0 victory against their rivals at the Volkswagen Arena on Saturday.

It was a match that really summed up where both teams are at this point in time, with Bayern Munich on a run of 34 league matches without defeat, whilst Wolfsburg have had a season to forget for a multitude of reasons, and this tactical analysis will take a closer look at why the visitors were able to win in such a dominant fashion. The analysis will break down their tactics, highlight why they have been such a fearsome opponent in recent times, and point out where Wolfsburg went wrong and why they will have some tough questions to answer in the coming days.

Lineups

Wolfsburg Frauen head coach Tommy Stroot made just one change to his starting lineup following last weekend’s damaging defeat at third-placed Hoffenheim Frauen, which was a forced one as star striker Alex Popp was ruled out after sustaining a knee injury during that match. The return to action of Poland captain and the current league top scorer Ewa Pajor was, therefore, timely, with her inclusion after her own injury issue giving the home side a significant boost ahead of what was always likely to be a pivotal game. Germany midfielder Lena Oberdorf was facing Bayern Munich Frauen for the final time in the league, with next season seeing her play for them after agreeing a switch earlier in the campaign.

Stroot’s Bayern Munich counterpart Alexander Straus opted not to tamper with a winning formula following his side’s dominant win at home to RB Leipzig Frauen last weekend, with no changes made to his starting lineup as he aimed for consistency in his team’s bid to take another step towards successfully retaining their crown. Denmark captain Pernille Harder and Serbia forward Jovana Damnjanović were included against their former club, with the former returning for the first time since moving back to Germany from Chelsea Women last summer.

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