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

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.

Again, no surprises

Today’s draw was a lucky one. Leverkusen should have scored at least one or even two goals and was unlucky to hit the bar more than once. Bayern was not able to create chances, despite Kompany stating that the team deserved the win.

This Bayern squad is on track to recover the Bundesliga title, but this contrasts with the team’s worst UCL run in decades (albeit in a new format) and the team’s inability to create chances and score in what us normal people see as “the big games.”

It seems this team has no “plan B” or ways of compensating when unable to build from the back and keep possession for long spells; Bayern has not been able to show anything different when pressed by high blocks or cornered by low blocks.

Who is Bayern’s go-to-guy?

This squad is most likely going to win the Bundesliga, but is that all the fans want to see? Or do we want to see Bayern as a team that competes for the big ones, a squad that other opponents are scared to face in big matches? Maybe the 2010s squad that played three UCL finals in four years spoiled us and we simply expect too much from our team, but given the recent investments and just looking at the squad wages, it’s reasonable that we expect a bit more from our big players in the big matches.

Vincent Kompany has not been able to produce tactical adjustments that make a difference in big games, with only one win the whole season, and our squad’s big names like Kimmich and Kane seem to disappear or “ghost” in these games.

Kompany is still growing; he has one of the best squads in Europe to do so, and plays in a league where his team is meant to win even with no manager, so he is in the right position to tinker and let his tactics evolve, but even then, in tight matches like today’s, individual performances are key to producing results.

Upamecano, Kim and Neuer stepped up, but where were Kane, Musiala, Olise and Kimmich? The 2010s squad had Robbery, Lahm, Bastian, prime Neuer; a bunch of legends. It seems this squad is still in need of that go to legendary player for these types of matches.

Today Leverkusen showed that while Bayern may win the Bundesliga, they have the best manager, and even if their squad doesn’t have the biggest names or wages, as a team they’re much more focused, flexible, and have the right mindset to take on these big matches.

Just like the 2010s squad learned a lot after two years of domination by Klopp’s BVB, this team can learn a lesson or two from Xabi’s side, both in terms of tactics and individual performances.

Today we saw a lucky draw that may even have decided the Bundesliga title in favor of the Bavarians, but we also saw that while this squad may have already produced impressive numbers for the Bundesliga, it is still a project under development, where both manager and squad need to take things to the next level so we can see this squad as a clear contender for European titles.

This was a lucky draw, a match that Bayern should have lost, the fans should celebrate Upamecano’s ability to literally carry the team on his shoulders, but we should also expect more from our manager and our big players. We know this squad should be able to step up and show us that, beyond being the main contenders for the Bundesliga title, European trophies are also within reach.