Bayern 0 – 0 Leverkusen: Can this team win the big ones? 

This is (statistically) the best Bundesliga season (so far) in the history of the club. Vincent Kompany is the most efficient manager in the history of the Bundesliga, in terms of points per game average. Yet, when talking about big games against decent opponents, including the UCL, the Bavarians have only been able to beat PSG and have lost to Barcelona, Aston Villa and Feyenoord. In the Bundesliga and the Pokal, Bayern has not been able to beat Leverkusen since September 2022.

This article written by Pepe Salazar

Other than PSG, all big matches this team has played this season in all competitions have ended in draws or even embarrassing defeats. Bayern’s UCL run has been one of the worst in ages, despite the signings of Olise, Palhinha, Ito, and the return of Stanisic. Even last season, with half an injured squad, this team was able to make it to the semis and was in fact very close to the final; so, what’s up with this rather “bi-polar” team that seems to be able to get heavy wins one game and then fails to create a single shot on target a few weeks later?

What happens to Kompany’s Bayern in big matches?
Tactically, against low blocks, Bayern has struggled to create chances and has conceded goals on the counter. Today Leverkusen didn’t play a low block and instead pressed Bayern from the first minute. No goals were conceded, thanks to brilliant individual performances by the center-backs, with Upamecano as the MOTM, and why not say it, Leverkusen hitting the bar a few times.

Tactics may be limited, as this is Kompany’s first season at Munich, and as it normally happens in big games, but Bayern has elite players that could still make a difference individually.

Bayern has Kimmich, who many consider to be the best six in the world; today he showed that when under pressure he is forced to play backwards and side-way passes, and struggles to take on opponents or carry the ball forward on his own.

Since Kimmich and Pavlovic are the protagonists in Bayern’s build up, when they fail to pass or carry the ball forward, the attackers rarely receive the ball, and the likes of Kane or Musiala are forced to drop deep to help in this phase. This situation makes us wonder why Bayern is so obsessed with playing a double pivot even in matches that could benefit from a three-man midfield.

Today Bayern’s double pivot was non-existent in all phases. They were unable to dominate the build up phase, they couldn’t defend between the lines, and couldn’t contribute to the attack either. In reality this was to be expected: How could they overcome this situation when they were always outnumbered in the midfield?

Despite this, Kompany failed to bring in an extra midfielder to compensate for Leverkusen’s double false nine, so the individual limitations were exacerbated by tactical ones. Leverkusen always had a numerical advantage in the middle of the pitch, which translated in 15 shots to two. The players that did shine individually were Upamecano, Kim, and Neuer with a heroic last-minute save.