Shape Snapshots | Borussia Mönchengladbach vs Bayern Munich - Bundesliga 20/21 (08.01.21)

Jan 8, 20213 min read

Shape snapshots are shorter, quicker summaries of each team's shapes, in and out-of-possession. Plus, any other tactical observations.

Line-Ups

Borussia Mönchengladbach

In possession, Borussia Mönchengladbach mainly relied on their build up play to draw Bayern up field, then used positional interchanges and direct, vertical attacks to exploit the space Bayern vacated behind their high defensive line
Below are some examples of the typical shapes Borussia Mönchengladbach would get into when on the ball versus Bayern Munich's quite consistent out-of-possession shape

Snapshot 1

In this first example, Neuhaus is dropping from his double pivot position in between the Mönchengladbach centre backs to help a) keep / build possession and b) draw out the Bayern press

Ahead of this now back three base, Kramer rolls into become the single pivot, the fullbacks push up higher on their respective flanks, Zakaria and Hofmann invert into the half spaces, Embolo leads the line and tries to pin the Bayern centre backs and Stindl drops short to get between-the-lines specifically in between and in-behind the Bayern double pivot to either receive a vertical pass himself or draw the double pivot narrower to create passing lanes to the other advanced players
By getting into this shape, Mönchengladbach had players between each of the Bayern defensive lines and centrally so they could try to play direct, vertical passes through the Bayern defensive shape and then exploit the space in-behind
Bayern's out-of-possession shape was a hybrid 4231 / 442 with Muller pushing up alongside Lewandowski to press - the rest of the team aimed to remain compact, both vertically and horizontally, so therefore they played a very high defensive line

Snapshot 2

In this second example, Kramer is this time dropping from the double pivot, in between the two central defenders, but this time, instead of Neuhaus becoming the single pivot, Zakaria drops from his initial advanced position to make up a new double pivot

Ahead of this base, the fullbacks again advance up the flanks and Stindl drops short, to position himself centrally between-the-lines, but in a slight variation Embolo and Hofmann position themselves up against - and importantly - in between the Bayern backline in an attempt to 1) pin the back four back and narrower and 2) offer a running threat in-behind from these positions
Again, this shape allowed Mönchengladbach to try and make direct, vertical passes through the Bayern defensive shape

Snapshot 3

In this third and final example - and often the shape Mönchengladbach got into when in the middle third, in controlled spells of possession - the double pivot remains in position

Ahead of this, Mönchengladbach's players would take up similar types of positions as previously mentioned - but this variation in their in-possession structure was an attempt to draw up the Bayern double pivot to create gaps between-the-lines for Zakaira, Stindl and Hofmann who would all be positioned in central areas, often rotating to create further disruption for Bayern

In possession, Bayern would have different structures depending on the attacking phase of play
The examples below showcase Bayern's typical possession structures, in both build up and the final third, versus Mönchengladbach's out-of-possession shapes

Snapshot 1

In build up play, Bayern Munich would position their fullbacks asymmetrically with Pavard holding a slightly deeper position and Davies advancing up field on the left flank to give them a forward line of five - see example below

To help play through the Mönchengladbach high and mid-blocks in build up, Kimmich could often drop in between the two Bayern centre backs and when he did this, then Pavard could advance onto a higher horizontal line and Goretzka would become the single pivot
Bayern's forward line of five, made up of Sane, Muller, Lewandowski, Coman and Davies, aimed to stretch and overload the Mönchengladbach backline of four
Sane and Davies would hold the width, with the former regularly making out-to-in runs in-behind the backline, Muller and Coman would aim to play in pockets of space between-the-lines, and Lewandowski would occupy the centre backs
Whilst Mönchengladbach predominantly got into a compact 442 block - when they did try to engage Bayern higher up the pitch, Hofmann would tend to be the one to jump up and press alongside the two forwards, with Zakaira tucking in on the right of midfield, to give Mönchengladbach more of a 433 shape

Snapshot 2

In the final third, Bayern would transition into more of 235 shape with Pavard advancing higher and playing in the right half-spaces, in front of the Mönchengladbach 4411 low block

One specific tactic Bayern would try to manufacture against the Mönchengladbach low block was Sane making in-swinging crosses from the right wing towards the far post where Muller or Lewandowski would intentionally pull out towards to try and get on the end of
Note - as Mönchengladbach scored early in the second half (49th minute) to take the lead and make it 3-2, the rest of the game pretty much played out with Bayern camped in the final third, in their 235 shape, versus Mönchengladbach in their 4411 low block

Result

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