I watched most of the match and gotta say Leverkusen are currently an incredibly well drilled team. Every player knows what to do and their game just flows; it's beautiful to watch
Leverkusen also targeted areas they knew they had better players. Wirtz can't be contained by Dier and Pavlovic. Grimaldo/Stanisic/Frimpong better & more experienced at the wing back role than their opposing counterparts.
You can see something from all of his former coaches and his father taught him too plus Alonso was a very intelligent player and a legend of the game and already a legend of Leverkusen and Bundesliga/DFB pokal german football as manager in short time. In this match you can see Guardiola and Mourinho influence on him. Great tactics from Alonso. Alonso will win everything as manager for sure. Rich career as both player and manager one of few.
The influence of former managers is getting over inflated. Alonso is intelligent in his own right, he likely brings 80% of the tactics and game management using his own brain cells.
@@josephodighibor2456I agree because Xavi mainly passes backwards and sideways. Alonso always passed forwards and was a better passer than Xavi. Alonso is better at shooting than Xavi as well
I definitely think Leverkusen have this season in the bag. They have answered ever question thrown at them and still look like they have more reserve for any future problems that might come up. The most impressive thing about it is the way Alonso has evolved his game through the course of the season to meet the demands of the opponents
Bayern's weakness is that the midfield and wingers just aren't suitable as a cohesive unit. Sure the players individually are all good, but there's no real synergy between their skillsets that allows them to function as a team. Goretzka and Kimmich are both too attacking to act as true defensive screens, but all their fullback options are also attacking players, which means Bayern's defensive work is almost entirely reliant on two centre backs. To address that you need the whole team to press from the front as a unit, but the squad just doesn't seem to be very good at that either. Then all their wingers like Musiala, Sane, Coman, and Gnabry who are creative threats rather than goalscoring ones. So not only is the defence entirely reliant on two centre backs, but the attack is also completely reliant on one striker for goals. When you look at the Bayern side that won the Champions League, you could get away with some of those weaknesses because Lewandowski and Muller were both in their prime and sharing goal responsibilities, Thiago was underrated as a presser, and with Pavard at RB you had 3 defensive players covering transitions at all times instead of just 2.
This argument falls down when you consider past Bayern managers like flick,jupp and pep who adapted the team based on players available. Tuchel is just stubborn ans considering he already alienated a section of players at the team, he already set himself up to fail, cause again I ask, what special players does Leverkusen have, I put it to you had tuchel been the Leverkusen manager and Alonso the Bayern manager the scoreline would be reversed, tuchel is finished at this point, remember he was at PSG and did nothing, plus fluked his way to a UCL at money ridden Chelsea.
Bayerns defense should be almost the same except for the RB. Under Flick, Kimmich and Goretzka were both playing and the defense still worked out. It wasn’t even looking as bad as it is now. I just don’t understand why Kimmich is moving around so much under Tuchel despite him taking more defensive responsibilities under Flick for example
With that 3-4-3 you can see Guardiola’s influence on Xabi Alonso. A possesion heavy side with an outstanding understanding of the game. Actually, Alonso said in an interview that he left Madrid because wanted to play with Pep Guardiola and learn from him.
Wow. Kinda funny how these career trajectories play out. I mean, Alonso clearly wouldn't have stated he wanted to play for Pep while he was at Barcelona.
@@adhynugroho9424 That’s pretty obvious. For example Fabregas wouldn’t have said that Mourinho is the best manager in the world while he was at Barcelona, but he said it while he was at Chelsea. But in this case, Xabi Alonso had a contract revenue offer after winning the UCL with Madrid but he still left.
I'm a Bayern fan but to be honest I couldn't even be mad. Yes Bayern played very poorly, but seeing Leverkusen play with this much confidence and team cohesion is just really attractive to watch. I knew what I was getting into and I expected to see an interesting Leverkusen side. But they still blew my expectations. This is what makes football enjoyable to me. Absolutely deserved if they win the title this year if they keep playing like this. Nobody has come closer in deserving it the last decade.
He won UCL with Chelsea being defensive. One of the best UCL defensive records. Bayern demands offensive possession ball. Tuchel was just the wrong pick.
@@mightymoeishTuchel's Bayern just pass the ball sideways and backwards with no intent, there is no directness or Verticality in our playing style. Something that was different under Nagelsmann.
Very few times have I been this excited about a team the way I am now. Great video, keep up the great work! And if you ever want to grow your audience, here's a translator who will connect you with the Spanish-speaking community! 😊
You gotta love this team... its still a long way to go, 13 games... if Leverkusen keeps up the pressure and do their thing then they can surely do it... they just gotta keep it up... as a local and a fan for 15 years, it would mean the world to our tiny little spot on the map. And it would mean the work from the past 40 years would finally pay off.... i believe in this team from the bottom of my heart
they are called vizekusen ( vicekusen. likse ...second-kusen) for a reason..i aint a fan of both but i'd rather see vizekusen loose that title and winning the dish than another bayern as usual the last ages.
It is quite obvious that Alonso build a pretty good team. But also that Bayern is in transition. What is the face of this team? What is the core or the axis? When you think about Bayern in the past there are always three or four players that were the structure of the team. Now they have a pretty new defense. they have not a consistent midfield, they have a few attacking players that perform, but that's not enough. Bayern was always best when they had a core of players that started every game. Players that were like a structure of a building. Players that came to your mind when you heard the word: Bayern München. But they lost that. Kimmich did not develop into the player they needed. Goretzka is not on a level to strike fear into the hearts of world class opponents. The same goes for the defenders. Players that could become world class, but are not quite there yet. They miss the strategic element, like Alonso was when he played for Bayern. They lack the pure football intelligence, like Lahm had. They lack the natural Bayern character (a combination of arrogance and work ethic), like Alaba had. Thomas Müller is the ultimate personification of what they need. But unfortunately for Bayern, he is not a defensive midfielder. This leads to a lack of stability. They miss a certain level of quality in their squad. And Tuchel tries to build around this, but it is impossible. You get away against weaker opponents, but not against such a talented and well prepared team like Leverkusen.
I love that you've analysed a game from the Bundesliga as well, reminds me of the days you would actively cover games from Serie A and La Liga as well😅 this is my favourite football tactial analysis channel on RU-vid, please keep up the good work. And, like I always say, this background music is just perfect🙌🏽
I think that Leverkusen's biggest advantage is Alonso has picked players with high intelligence, and coached them in such a way that they solve tactical issues on the pitch as a match progresses. All of the changes Leverkusen made have a fairly simple tactical change to remain effective defensively, its just very hard to make those changes quickly on the pitch, and stay cohesive. Leverkusen ask you difficult, changing tactical problems. If you don't adjust well Leverkusen control the ball. Then if you continue to go man to man, its very difficult to stop a dropping nine as midfielders have time to pass into the big gap at the back if the centre backs stays man to man. Maybe Tuchel should have gone low block and used a dropping Kane to launch counters? Bayern don't like to play small team tactics though.
Another prodigy? Let him come to the prem then we'll see. In Germany, even Ballack was a baller. His true footballing ability got tested in the prem where he was just average. And not to even comment on Werner.. 😂😂
@@juned2001considering he helped Chelsea reach their first ever champions league final and has the lowest loss record of any player with over 100 games, Ballack couldn’t have been too bad 😂
I agree with most if this video but the last point: Leverkuse did barely adept this game but basically played their go-to system with 2 roles slightly changed in stanisic and adli. The one team that tried to adept and failed miserably was Bayern by trying to shadow Leverkusens formation
PossessionBall only works if you can control the counter. Even a master like Pep used to fail with it (UCL). Reminder that Tuchel won the UCL by playing defensively.
Great Analysis. In my oplnion, Alonso is the only coach who can follow Jürgen but it's a kamikaze Job. Don't forget, in Germany coaches plus stuff and Management are not one person and stepping in Jürgens footprints is almost impossible. Cheers from Germany and please excuse my crappy english 🙈
I was so waiting for this analysis. Great video. I expect Bayern and Leverkusen to keep winning but I feel the Bavarians really felt the moral blow. They were humbled. The opposite goes foe Leverkusen. They are mentally stronger. Who should stop them now?? I think this title (if not all 3) are going to Leverkusen. What do you think? 😮😮😮
City needs to focus on beating their biggest rival: the 115 charges. If they can't nobody will respect their body of work, because it's build on fraud.
@lowercentenary stop being salty and read. The only ones they could strip them of are pre-2017. That's before Pep and his dominance. No one will strip them of these achievements for the past 7 years. And they've deserved every single one of them.
Leverkusen positionings is world class and labour rate is immensly high. As you can see, this doesnt have anything to do with talent but hard work. From this they developed their mind set to play the ball in very narrow windows. The result is fun to watch. Bayern werent too bad but the composure of Leverkusen had an impact on Bayern too.
As Real Madrid fan, I have been following Xabi tactics and from what I saw his kind of football fits perfectly for Liverpool. I would like to see him as Real Madrid Manager in the future though. His football and match to match preparation is second to none, Brilliant.
What a pity that this well oiled machine will only last one season, as Xabi Alonso would move to Liverpool and one or more Leverkusen's players will be raided. I wish the team can achieve success more than a season.
@@G0TUGAI Agree, deep midfield Musiala is an absolute joy to watch. That's where his intelligence shines the most. He has such a great feel for the gamestate and makes key decisions so fast. On the wings he's mostly wasted and as a 10 I think the main problem is that yes he's a good dribbler, put he is overestimating his chances to much there and often just loses the ball.
As an Arsenal fan so happy to see Xhaka do well... This was some of the best football I saw for a neutral... way better than EPL... Leverkusen are fire
@@miguelporras8366 i’m speaking to the core principles of course he made adjustments but i’ve seen coaches throw away their own game plan for bigger opposition xabi didn’t do that
@@rageowens of course he did. Grimaldo moving to the center is an obvious tactical change. He had different men available and the rival has different weaknesses than other teams. So, it is perfectly natural to make some changes. Defending with 6 also broke Bayern's attack, that is not exactly Alonso's usual defensive setup
Instead of starting with 5 defenders, Tuchel could start with a 4-3-3 formation. Then you always had 1 extra midfielder to catch Grimaldo, then Mazraoui did not have to move out of position + you could put pressure on the 3 defenders of Leverkusen with 3 attackers man to man. But it is still brilliant what Xabi Alonso is doing with his team, really enjoyable
Excellent video. Thanks for working to get this posted so quickly. "Everyone" is saying that Alonso is going to go LIverpool, let's assume that is true. Would he play this style of total football there? Would those players fit such a system? It seems to me, that staying in Leverkusen might be a better place from which to change world football. He can be the best manager in that team's history and build a dynasty. At Liverpool, he will always be #3 at best historically. On the other hand, Liverpool and the EPL have the money to implement any plan.
Way before this game, Tuchel's Bayern have been so ponderous! Kane never picked out, Sané expected to do some magic, and the runners around them expected to mine errors out of the defenders. It isn't a philosophy of domination but attrition through a thousand tiny yawn-inducing cuts (which is generally how they've been winning games) Aweful football to watch.
Its to early to say anything about xabi on what he's targeting to achieve within the capability of his current team but it is nice to see him giving such creativity gameplay 😉
Good video. Tuchel had some interesting tactical aspects but it just didn’t work out because of the lack of creativity by the players and great tactics from Leverkusen.
Am I exaggerating if I say this Leverkusen side is the best football team seen over the last ten years in Europe? Along the 2019-20 Liverpool side until Covid, I'd say. Results wise and for the beauty of their brand of football. I don't want to jinx it for them, I really hope they win the treble and make it up for 2002 PS yes I know Real Madrid won three CLs in a row and had Ronaldo, Modric and Benzema on their team, but they didn't offer any kind of excitement to the viewer, in my opinion
Tuchel doesn’t fit Bayern’s DNA. He’s a defensive coach similar to Simione’s. Bayern are all about attacking football which Tuchel lacks unfortunately. On the other hand, Bayer Leverkusen are brilliant with how they play. What a joy to watch.
I don't think you described the back three correctly the way Bayern tried to do it. The one who was constantly manmarking was Upa, who tracked Wirtz across most of Bayern's half.
In every sport, there's always a new player or coach/manager that takes on the mantle of the next best thing to be produced. And it's safe to say that Xabi Alonso is indeed next up...
Alonso and Leverkusen are doing extremely well now, But its still too early to list Alonso with some of the world best manager. Claudio Ranieri won the Epl with a very unfancy Leicester City F.C. But they just faded after that, a 1 season wonder, I am not saying Alonso is another Claudio Ranieri, but he still got alot of work to do.
Leverkusen plays an almost perfect season so far. They still havn't lost a match in any competition. That alone is insane. Then you look at HOW they play and you one can not imagine how they could not win the league. they might even get the triple.
@@ScaroMK well tbh I think it’s more eghbali than boehly. Chelsea have brought back Jose and in my opinion roman has a bigger ego than boehly and co 👍🏼👍🏼
@@RoganClipVaultYT perception can differ greatly. The problem was created up front bc Bayern simply don't have any players that link up creatively together in possession. Boey - Musiala was just as big of a loss as Maz - Sané. Goretzka just disappears half the game and Pavlovich is young and can't be tasked with being the creative motor of an uncreative attack. Musiala is the only player who's good on the ball and he's always left alone and struggles with decision making and timely passes as well. The roster just isn't structured well at all, and the CBs do all of the defensive heavy lifting even though the midfield isn't good offensively, either. Just an increasingly MID group of players
Yeah Leverkusen go nuts this season. Xabi obviously is a great coach. I hope he stays there for some more years and builds a legacy before he joins a big club like Liverpool. I wonder how good they will do in the champions league next season. :)
what killed bayern was the lack of tactical creativity. this is what gave leverkusen the edge, they were much more free to move when they had the ball, as we saw with adli, wirtz and grimaldo, while bayern were very disciplined which made them very slow in possesion and also caused them to lose possesion in their half fairly often. but im very excited to see xabis future, whether he stays or not.
For now several seasons Bayern seems to have serious issues with their midfield being unable to establish a reliable press or control which we can see from Kimmichs history of losing the ball if pressured or vulnerability to counterattacks. As FMS (not only in this video) pointed out, playing with two midfielders against 3-4 opposing ones, is a recipe for disaster. It‘s time for Bayern, with or without Tuchel, to abandon the boneheaded back 4 plus double pivot system dating back to Heynckes.
Alonso outclassed & outplayed Tuchel by a country mile no doubt. Which leads the Bayern squad to lose faith & trust in their manager. This was a dismal demolition by Bayern standards.
X.Alonso está camino a ser el próximo Pep, Klopp.....vaya paliza táctica, y sin Boniface, Frimpong, Palacios, ni Hoffman....una lección de como saber utilizar TODA tu plantilla y no llorar cuando te falte un jugador como otros entrenadores.
I think bayern munich players are just never good at following tuchels plans n once they concede everything goes side ways they dont even have courage l dont blame tuchel at all hes a tactical genius
Leverkusen had a very lucky first half of the season without losing any games. I don't think they can sustain this performance throughout the season. No team has ever made it through an entire Bundesliga year without a spell of bad luck. So karma is waiting for Leverkusen to stumble. I think that will happen after they lose their first game of the season at some point. So far they think they are invincible. Once they are defeated for the first time, doubt will creep into their minds. I think that overall they now have a good chance of defending their very private title as Vizekusen. There were so many teams that were 5 or even 6 points ahead of Bayern in January/February. One of them starts with B and likes to play in Dortmund. In the last 10 years that hasn't been enough to win a championship. And you shouldn't forget that Bayern are having a better season this year so far than they have had for a long time. With 39 points remaining, both teams are now 16 and 21 points shy of the number that has been enough for the championship in 9 of the last 10 years. So there are definitely still 6 - 8 games that “the dice” may ve able to decide. And as I said before, Alonso is a great tactician but after the first defeat he also has to prove himself as a great motivator. That is still pending.
people hoping alonso is the next big liverpool manager while he can just stay in leverkusen and be the next big manager winning international trophies with THEM
