Stuttgart – Bayern analysis in tactics and stats
Substandard. Most definitely. FC Bayern didn’t deliver a great performance in Stuttgart. My analysis shows many tactical weaknesses but also how Thiago, Claudio Pizarro and Mario Mandzukic resurrected FCB.
Tactical points
Right off the bat, I believe it is important to question the official 4-1-4-1 formation because this is not what Pep Guardiola is using since the restart. For the whole game, the team adopted 4-2-3-1 with Philipp Lahm and Toni Kroos as double pivot in central midfield.
Evidence
Typical with Lahm and Kroos in the middle
Why did FCB struggle to create decisive plays for 60 minutes? The close marking by Stuttgart. Energetic and disciplined, they contained the Reds’ fast passing. There was little space to work with.
Pushed back
Xherdan Shaqiri was rightfully criticized during this game. He was rarely unmarked for a scoring chance. The best one he had was early in the match and he absolutely missed it.
Missed opportunity
Thiago was absolutely brilliant in passing and he scored a stunner at the end. However, his challenges still require much work. He could go into them with more energy.
Spectator on this one. A moment before, he had the ball to himself.
I was unhappy when I saw the poor coverage on Vedad Ibisevic when he scored his goal. Sure, players were offside, but how do you let Stuttgart’s only real threat with all the space he needs to land a blow?
No, you can’t let a striker of his class alone.
On to Mario Mandzukic and Claudio Pizarro as impact players. As soon as they were subbed in, they turned a disappointing defeat into a win, complementing Thiago’s efforts, which are detailed in the stats below.
This blog has often highlighted how Mandzukic has presence on the pitch. He finds space and creates it for his teammates. This first screenshot shows perfectly how he attracts both central defenders, who are aware that they are dealing with one of the most efficient strikers in Europe.
The big 9 gets attention.
Pizza Boy was especially sharp with his passing, creating a chance on his own a few minutes later.
Great pass on the flank for a direct shot on goal.
Claudio may have scored the first goal on a Thiago free kick, but he owes it to Mandzukic. Look at how the big Croatian man made defenders pull back towards him. This freed Pizarro to put the header in a moment later. Simply brilliant.
Blurry shot, but see how Luigi has his arms up, and how Pizarro is free to his right.
Statistical points
My man of the match
Thiago. The Spaniard put in a shift. Almost 12 km covered. 119 touches. 85 passes completed. 10 dribbles. 4 shots on goal. A big one in the net. His best match as a Bayern player.
Claudio Pizarro
One goal. Two shots on target. Four dribbles. Two key passes. All in 30 minutes.
Control but…
56% of challenges won. 68% possession overall. This shows that the problem wasn’t getting the ball but what to do with it.
Outworked
Stuttgart’s hard work showed in the stats. 10.5 km covered in runs, against 9.2 for Munich.
Mario Götze
Once again, he did well as false nine. He served three passes for scoring chances and dribbled 7 times.
Philipp Lahm
Very effective in central midfield. He cleared four times and intercepted four times.
Dante
Three interceptions and 7 effective clearances. One of them was incredibly important in the area.
Stats taken on bundesliga.com and whoscored.com