Malik Tillman 2019/20 – scout report

While Bayern Munich’s first team had a rocky start to their season, seeing them fall as low as eight in the Bundesliga, they’ve managed to right their ship and are now in first place, four points ahead of Borussia Dortmund. Similarly, Bayern’s U19 squad faced a similar path, with their consistency ultimately bringing them to the top of their respective youth Bundesliga table. The analysis shows that one of the key contributors to their success is 17-year-old Malik Tillman.

The 6’1 forward has contributed 13 goals and seven assists, leading the team in both categories. Tillman’s primary position in the squad is at centre-forward, where most of his offensive output has come from, but he has also featured as an attacking midfielder, which he admitted is his preferred position. This scout report will provide a tactical analysis of Malik Tillman, examining how he fits into Danny Schwarz’s tactics with the U19 Bayern side.

Defensive movement

Tillman’s ability to defend space successfully is a requirement for him to progress within Bayern’s youth system, especially if he wants to play as a midfielder. Against Tottenham in the UEFA Youth League, his ability to do so helped prevent Tottenham from playing through Bayern, and ultimately it helped Bayern secure a 4-1 victory. For much of the match, he was alternating with Joshua Zirkzee when it came to either pressing the centre-back in possession or marking Spurs’ defensive midfielder. When Zirkzee would go to press the centre-back, Tillman would drop on the defensive midfielder and vice versa. However, there were moments when there was too much space for Tillman to cover if he were to press.

This image is one of those examples. Instead of pressing the centre-back in possession, Tillman shifted over to his right, using his cover shadow to prevent the yellow pass from occurring. Just by properly positioning himself, he was able to still dictate the defender’s pass. The ball progressed to the left-back for Tottenham, which was quite predictable, as Tottenham was playing out of pressure on the right side. This predictability becomes invaluable when defending, as it allows the team to set traps for their opponents to play into.

While able to organise himself properly within the context of his teammates, Tillman’s ability to read a situation and successfully take advantage of it demonstrates both his game intelligence as well as his high work rate. Against Spurs, Bayern were coasting to a 4-1 victory in injury time. While still working towards scoring, they lost possession in Spurs’ penalty area.