Bayern vs Barca showed us top level individual and collective quality. I don’t think any coaches in Europe, except Xavi, could ask his team to man-mark Bayern in full court, especially in Munich. Barcelona pressed very high and aggressive with their usual 442 structure.
Nagelsmann, having expected this press, made his strategy on playing from back, taunt the opponent and create spaces behind the 2nd pressure line. When Bayern built up, we constantly saw Mane and Sane high and wide, while Muller and Musiala deep and central.
After Bayern’s first build-up trial, Barca pushed their CBs to jump on Bayern’s double no 10, Christensen on Musiala and Araujo on Muller. Both teams were very interchangeable, but positional rotations didn’t affect the strategies of any team.
Bayern could manage to build-up and progress to the final third in very advantageous situations several times in the first half, but they couldn’t create big chances out of these opportunities.
Meanwhile Barca’s high press and counter press had high efficacy as well. Their aggressiveness in jumps and directness in transitions helped them to create big chances, but they couldn’t convert them into goals.
10 seasons ago, when Villanova’s Barca and Heynckes’ Bayern clashed, the borderlines were very clear; it was Spanish tiki-taka vs German gegenpress. Yesterday once again showed football’s globalization. Now Barca can press like Germans and Bayern can build up like Spaniards.
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