GROUP A

ATLÉTICO MADRID

1-1
BAYERN MÜNCHEN

By Daryl - @dgouilard
 MATC H DETAILS
LAST MEETING KEY INFORMATION BACKGROUND

Bayern • Bayern München have wrapped up first

place in Group A with two games to spare,
MATCHDAY while Atlético de Madrid have work to do to
4-0 join their Matchday 5 opponents in the last

Atlético 5 16.
• While the holders have won all four of their
games in this season's competition,
extending their record winning UEFA
Champions League run to 15 matches, Atleti
are seven points behind on five, two ahead
ALLIANZ ARENA of Lokomotiv Moskva and four above
Salzburg. The Spanish side could progress on
Matchday 5, but would need to beat Bayern
and for Lokomotiv to fail to win at home to
T U ES DAY Salzburg.
21th
OCTOBER
1/12 • Bayern inflicted Atleti's joint heaviest
European defeat in Munich on Matchday 1,
Kingsley Coman scoring twice and Leon
Goretzka and Corentin Tolisso once apiece in

2020 a 4-0 home win.

@ STA D I O M E T R O P O L ITA NO
 Atlético – Pre-match (3W in the La Liga, 2D in the UCL)

LOKOMOTIV MOSCOW 11 ATLÉTICO MADRID

Champions League – 03/11/2020

ATLÉTICO MADRID 40 CÁDIZ CF

La Liga – 07/11/2020

ATLÉTICO MADRID 10 FC BARCELONA

La Liga – 21/11/2020

ATLÉTICO MADRID 00 LOKOMOTIV MOSCOW

Champions League – 25/11/2020

VALENCIA CF 01 ATLÉTICO MADRID

La Liga – 28/11/2020
Bayern – Pre-match (2W, 1D in the Bundesliga, 2W in the UCL)

FC SALZBURG 26 BAYERN MÜNCHEN

Champions League – 03/11/2020

BORUSSIA DORTMUND 40 BAYERN MÜNCHEN

Bundesliga – 07/11/2020

BAYERN MÜNCHEN 11 WERDER BREMEN

Bundesliga – 21/11/2020

BAYERN MÜNCHEN 31 FC SALZBURG

Champions League – 25/11/2020

VfB STUTTGART 13 BAYERN MÜNCHEN

Bundesliga – 28/11/2020
ATLÉTICO MADRID
 Atlético – Starting XI and Key features
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION: ATTACKING 3-2-4-1

• 3-2-4-1 offensively; 4-4-2/5-3-2 defensively

• Defensive shape occasionally switched to a 5-4-1
when João Félix dropped to the left-hand side of the
midfielders
• Yannick Carrasco usually dropped deeper to play as a
left wing-back when the team was out of possession
• Carrasco and Kieran Trippier tended to overlap high
up the pitch and attempted to beat Bayern’s wing-
backs in offensive duels
• Marcos Llorente drifted into the right half-space
more often to support the wide attacking play
• Félix preferred to roam from his position and
dropped deep to receive the ball from the defenders
• Technically, it was still a 4-4-2 but looked more like a
5-3-2 for the majority of the match.
In possession
 Atlético – Key features
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION: ATTACKING 3-2-4-1
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

Atlético preferred to control the ball on the halfway line and they looked to pass the ball short and slightly
PREFERRED
quick to bypass Bayern’s press while also looked to capitalise the space behind their defensive line. The
STATE centre-backs were also capable of making direct passes towards Félix and used him as the starting point of
the team’s attacking situations. But if they were not successful of creating an attack, they would look to pass
the ball back and restart the build-up phase.

Played out with a back three with both outside centre-backs looked to stay slightly wide, specifically inside
the half-spaces. Both wing-backs stayed higher than their usual positions, specifically Carrasco, who acted as
BUILD-UP the main attacking source on the left-hand side. Meanwhile, both central midfielders also stayed close to the
centre-backs to create a passing block inside of their own half.

Saúl and Koke stayed deep and looked to bring the ball out of defence, while also linking up with the
attackers up front. The same thing can be said for Félix as he looked to drop from his position, received the
INSIDE
ball from the centre-backs and dribbled it forward to lead the team’s attack. At the same time, their attackers
positioned high up the pitch (closed to Bayern’s defensive line) to pin the opposition’s defensive line back
into their half.

Carrasco and Trippier positioned themselves high up the pitch and closed to Bayern’s wing-backs to look to
WIDTH
make runs in behind them. It was an intentional decision made by Simeone as he knew both wing-backs
were capable of beating Bayern’s wing-backs in offensive duels to attack the space behind their backs.
Llorente tended to position himself inside the right half-space and looked to support Trippier when the team
attacked down the right-hand side.

Félix was capable of roaming from his position as he looked to stay on the edge of Bayern’s pressing block to
receive the ball from the centre-backs. He also stayed deeper than Correa, who preferred to stay in between
DEPTH
Bayern’s centre-backs to encourage through balls, to attempt to drag Bayern’s defenders out of their
Occasionally, Carrasco would move inside to switch position with Félix as he moved wide to provide a
possible passing option on the left-wing.

FINAL Wing-oriented as they relied on the players’ link up plays and off-the-ball movements to progress the ball
THIRD
into the final third. Also preferred to make crosses from Trippier and Llorente’s right-hand side, while
Carrasco was encouraged to cut inside whenever he had the ball.
 Atlético – Build-up play

• Build-up formation: 3-2-4-1

• Played out with a back three with the ball-sided
centre-backs stayed inside the half-space
• Both central midfielders stayed close to the centre-
backs to provide possible passing options
• Both wing-backs stayed high, with Carrasco (LWB)
stayed higher than Trippier (RWB)
• Preferred to play the ball short, but could also be
direct if needed in order to find Félix/other attackers
 Atlético – Build-up play

• Build-up formation: 3-2-4-1

• Played out with a back three with the ball-sided
centre-backs stayed inside the half-space
• Both central midfielders stayed close to the
centre-backs to provide possible passing options
• Both wingers stayed high, with Carrasco (LWB)
stayed higher than Trippier (RWB)
• Preferred to play the ball short, but could also
be direct if needed in order to find Félix/other
attackers
Atlético – Offensive depth

Félix preferred to sit in between Bayern’s

defensive line and played in a similar role to a
#10. He also tended to stay on the edge of
Bayern’s pressing box to pick up the ball from
the defenders and looked to dribble his way
forward.
 Atlético – Félix’s opening goal

This goal showed how good Félix’s spatial awareness and

anticipation are as he managed to surprise Süle and picked up
Llorente’s cross to score. He knew that Correa’s dummy
movement attracted Alaba’s attention and the Austrian
defender immediately moved towards his teammate. As
shown in this image, Félix was one step ahead of Süle in trying
to cover the space that Alaba left behind and entered that
exact space to pick up the ball from Llorente.
Out of possession
 Atlético – Key features
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION: 4-4-2/5-3-2
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

Atlético were happy to allow Bayern to have control of the ball and, instead, looked to regroup into their 4-4-
PREFERRED
2 mid-block before retreating into a 5-3-2 low-block inside their own half. There were a slight aggressiveness
STATE from the players that pushed forward to press, but they would look to provoke mistakes rather than
challenge for the ball. They remained disciplined when forming their defensive shape with the intention of
preventing Bayern from capitalising the space in between their defensive lines.

Both strikers were more active in pressing compared to the rest of the squad as they looked to chase down
the ball from Bayern’s centre-backs while blocking the passing lane to Javi Martínez. The midfielders were
PRESS also willing to push forward to press, but only on several occasions, and also encouraged the last defensive
line to stay near the halfway line. Atlético looked to provoke errors both centrally and out wide, and would
look to start a quick counter-attack should they regained possession.

Tended to overload the central area by encouraging the defensive shape to stay compact inside the central
half. Llorente looked to move inwards and created a midfield three to provide a blocking shield for the
INSIDE
defenders and they looked to intercept passes coming towards them or challenging for the ball if they were
inside Atlético’s half/defensive third.

Both Carrasco and Trippier stayed slightly wide to mark Bayern’s wing-backs and prevented them from making
runs in behind their backs. The back four was changed into a back five when Carrasco dropped deep into the
WIDTH left wing-back position and they looked to stretch slightly wide to allow both wing-backs to stay inside both
flanks.

Preferred to press with a 4-4-2 formation but would change to a 5-3-2 (5-4-1 inside the second half) when
Bayern had the ball inside their half. Félix also roamed from his position occasionally, similar to his trait when
DEPTH
the team had the ball, as he could stay up front to press alongside Correa or dropped to the left to create a 5-
4-1 formation. Should Félix stayed up front, Llorente would move inside to create a midfield three with Saúl
and Koke.

LOW Preferredly a 5-3-2 low-block that stayed slightly wide with Carrasco dropped deep to defend the left wing.
BLOCK
Looked similar to a 4-4-2 asymmetrical to the left, stretched slightly wide to allow the wing-backs to stay
SHAPE
wide, while the central players stayed disciplined with the intention of blocking passing lanes and prevented
short link-up plays in between the lines.
 Atlético – Pressing

• Pressing formation: 4-4-2

• Both strikers looked to be active in pressing Bayern’s
build-up
• The midfielders were also willing to push forward to
press
• Looked to provoke errors and mistakes from Bayern’s
defenders to win the ball
 Atlético – Defensive width

• Carrasco and Trippier stayed slightly wide to mark

Bayern’s wing-backs
• Carrasco also dropped deep to create a back five
while defending
• Would look to overload the wide space when Bayern
attempted to distribute the ball wide
 Atlético – Low-block shape

• Preferred to regroup from a 4-4-2 to a 5-3-2

• Stayed compact inside the central area to overload
the area
• Also looked to stretch slightly wide for Carrasco and
Trippier to interact with Bayern’s wing-backs
BAYERN MÜNCHEN
 Bayern – Starting XI and Key features
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION: ATTACKING 3-3-1-3
• 3-3-1-3 offensively; 5-2-2-1 defensively
• Switched to a 4-1-4-1 after Angelo Stiller was
brought on to play as a defensive midfielder
• Javi Martínez stayed deep and linked up with the
CBs during build-up
• Bright Arrey-Mbi and Bouna Sarr tended to
overlap high up the pitch; at times, found
themselves inside the final third
• Jamal Musiala tended to roam from his position as
he looked to move in between Atlético’s defensive
lines
• Douglas Costa and Leroy Sané drift inwards from
their positions, looked to play inside the half-
spaces and even switched positions with Eric
Maxim Choupo-Moting if possible.
• Hansi Flick changed from his usual 4-2-3-1/4-1-4-1
to a 3-4-2-1/3-3-1-3
In possession
 Bayern – Key features
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION: ATTACKING 3-1-3-3
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

Bayern preferred to have control of the ball and the match by lowering the tempo of the match. They rarely
PREFERRED
looked to play the ball long, but rather passed it short to look for ways to progress the ball into the box. The
STATE away side preferred to attack centrally, but was forced to distribute the ball wide more often due to Atlético’s
disciplined defensive shape.

Played out with a back three with Süle and Hernández stayed slightly wide while Alaba dropped deeper
centrally than the other two. At the same time, Martínez looked to drop close to the centre-backs and created
BUILD-UP a passing block while looking to bring the ball forward as well. But his appearance was used as a dummy for
the outside centre-back to dribble the ball forward as he did not involve too often during the team’s build-up
phase.

Relied on Musiala’s flexible movements centrally more often to attack the central area. Looked to make
passes and attack Atlético’s defensive shape centrally on several occasions but was not able to get the ball
INSIDE
into the final third through the area. Should they able to do so, the attackers preferred to create short link up
plays in order to progress the ball into the 16-yard box.

Heavily relied on width as they played the ball wide more often and attempted to create passing triangles in
WIDTH
between the players to get to the edge of the box. Sarr and Arrey-Mbi stayed near the touchline more often
and looked to receive the ball to make crosses into the box for Choupo-Moting. The connection between the
wing-backs and wingers was key for Bayern to attack down either flank.

Sané and Costa moved inside, looked to stay close to Choupo-Moting and opened up space for the wing-
backs to overlap. Meanwhile, Choupo-Moting preferred to stay in between the centre-backs and acted as the
DEPTH
target man/focal point of the team’s attack. Out wide, Arrey-Mbi looked to position himself higher up the
pitch while Sarr stayed deeper to support the team’s build-up phase.

FINAL Wing-oriented, especially down the right wing with Musiala moved into the right half-space, and relied on
THIRD
short link up plays to progress the ball into the box. Crosses were aimed low towards the 6-yard box, or high
towards the far post. Were not able to create many chances inside the first half due to not having much of the
ball in the final third, but were more efficient inside the second half with Müller playing as a raumdeuter in
between Atlético’s defensive lines.
 Bayern – Build-up

• Build-up formation: 3-1-3-3

• Played out with a back three with the ball-sided
centre-backs stayed inside the half-space
• Martínez stayed close to the centre-backs to
provide a possible passing option
• Both wing-backs stayed high, with Arrey-Mbi (LWB)
stayed higher than Sarr (RWB)
• Preferred to play the ball short and circulated it in
between the defenders to find possible space to
attack
 Bayern – Offensive width

It might look confusing, but it was a well-worked

width attacking situation from Bayern. The key point
here was how Musiala and Sané’s switched positions
with each other to confuse Hermoso and Saúl,
allowing the English youngster to receive the ball
from Sarr freely while Sané underlapping to attack
the space he created and received the ball from
Musiala as well.
Bayern – Offensive width

• Relied heavily on the wide space while

attacking
• Sarr and Arrey-Mbi looked to stay close to the
byline to stretch Atlético’s defensive shape
• The connection between the WBs and the
wingers is key for Bayern when progressing
the ball into the final third
• Preferred to attack down the right wing
(especially inside the second half) and would
look to overload the space around the wing
Bayern – The Müller effect

Formation was switched to a 4-1-4-1/4-4-2

with Müller played in the channel and acted
as the focal point of the team’s attack
 Bayern – The Müller effect

Here, Müller did what he did best, which was

positioning himself into the space in between
Atlético’s defensive line to receive the ball from
Gnabry. From there, he dribbled the ball into the box
and Felipe caught his legs, which resulted in a late
penalty for Bayern and Müller himself converted it
comfortably.
Out of possession
 Atlético – Key features
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION: HIGH 5-2-2-1
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

Bayern looked to press Atlético high up the pitch and were aggressive off the ball in order to regain
PREFERRED
possession high up the pitch. They looked to lure the opposition out wide and overloaded the area to win the
STATE ball back, but were also ready to be aggressive if the home side distributed the ball centrally. They also
tended to engage a man-oriented press when they pushed forward and pressed Atlético from their build-up
phase.

Pressed with a 5-2-2-1 with the attackers stayed slightly narrow to create a pressing block centrally and looked
look to shift sides depend on where the ball was played. They were willing to push forward with numbers and
PRESS overloaded the space inside Atlético’s half with the intention of regaining possession as quick as possible.
Defensive line was pushed extremely high to support the press and, at times, found themselves inside
Atlético’s half.

Looked to overload the central area using the pressing block and prevented Atlético from distributing the ball
in between their defensive lines. The centre-backs looked to stay close to each other with Alaba dropping
INSIDE
slightly deep to provide coverage for his colleagues. Meanwhile, Süle and Hernández preferred to act as
stoppers and threw themselves into challenges to win the ball back.

Both Sané and Costa stayed narrow in order to mark Atlético’s central midfielders and prevented them from
connecting to the attackers. Meanwhile, Sarr and Arrey-Mbi stayed back for most of the time as they were
WIDTH pinned down by Atlético’s wing-backs and they would be beaten in defensive duels should the ball was
distributed to either Carrasco or Trippier.

Played with an extremely high defensive line that, at times, positioned inside Atlético’s half. But due to their
aggressive press up the pitch, they were looking safe at the back with the defenders did not have to track
DEPTH
back to cover the space behind them. They would rather look to pick up second balls cleared by Atlético’s
defenders to regain possession.

LOW 5-4-1 mid-to-low block as Bayern looked to create overloads out wide when Atlético distributed the ball wide.
BLOCK
They also looked to be slightly aggressive near their defensive third but avoided fouling inside the area, which
SHAPE
resulted in them not conceding many dangerous set-piece situations.
Bayern – Pressing

• Pressing formation: 5-2-2-1

• Both wingers looked to stay narrow to form
a pressing block with the midfielders and
Choupo-Moting
• Pushed extremely forward to support the
press and looked to gain numerical
superiority inside Atlético’s half
Takeaways
 Takeaways from the match

• Atlético showed their defensive resilient once again and even adapted to Bayern’s possession-
oriented approach by flexibly changing their formation between a 4-4-2 and a 5-3-2.
• The home side had more than one occasions where they could have put the match further
from Bayern’s hands but the players had a woeful day in getting the ball into the back of the
net.
• Still, they managed to create high-quality goal-scoring chances compared to Bayern (1.60 xG
compared to 1.09 xG, which shown a fair result for both sides).
• It was a rare match that we were able to see Bayern struggled to create goal-scoring chances
even though they controlled the majority of ball possession in both half.
• They still looked to take the risk by defending very high up the pitch, but their aggressive high
press kept Atlético from creating quick counter-attacks that could put the defenders in a
vulnerable situation more often.
• While Bayern’s young players had a decent night, especially for Musiala, they still relied on key
players to create chances for the team when Müller was brought on for Martínez in the 62th
minute.