With echoes of the vibrant draw between Bayern and Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals, it is time to analyze the match in depth and reveal its tactical keys.
In the only doubt that there was in the eleven, Ancelotti opted for the Rudiger-Nacho pairing at the back with Tchouameni in front as an anchor for Toni Kroos. And after a first stretch of the game in which the Madridistas were out of the game, the formula ended up stabilizing and controlling the areas through which Bayern wanted to attack. Once again, Madrid acted as two blocks within the same one. A first block with the defenders plus the double pivot and another, with the top three plus Valverde’s legs. In the first quarter of an hour, possession was 60%-40% for the Germans but then it became Madrid’s to reach halftime with an advantage. The second half was another story and the Italian coach finally moved the Frenchman back to the central position.
The German coach’s initial game plan made all the sense in the world, placing Muller at the top and two creative midfielders like Sané and Musiala to get out of the ordinary. But the effect didn’t work for Bayern because they didn’t take advantage of the two clear chances in the opening minutes. Perhaps for this reason, Tuchel moved the scoreboard again by changing the wing ends and unexpectedly placing Guerreiro in the double pivot. And the second surprise did work because Bayern changed completely. The German team managed to sink Madrid in their area with a brilliant start to the second half with two diagonals from the two wingers (Sané and Musiala) who changed sides minutes before.
Down on the scoreboard, Madrid changed to 4-3-3 with the unexpected entry of Brahim for Bellingham. With this, the Madrid team increased the height as well as the intensity in the high press and that allowed for some recoveries in the opposite field. A factor that caused them to be closer to Neuer’s goal and with more troops. And when that happens, the profiles of skilled footballers like Brahim, Vinicius or Rodrygo win in spades. A combination between the latter two led to the tying penalty.
Jamal Musial’s game was excellent. He started on the right and ended on the left, but on both sides he was Bayern’s greatest generator. He is a footballer with a lot of excess and creativity. The amount of technical resources he has make him a very special player. Five of seven dribbles, two shots and a forced penalty. As for Madrid, the most decisive was, once again, Vinícius for the two goals and his activity, but the best was Toni Kroos. His assist at 0-1 is wonderful and he sees football with different eyes than the rest. There is one fact that clearly shows this: he finished the first half with 15 passes that broke the opponent’s line.
