How Bayern Munich's Success Might Change Tactics Across Europe Next Season

The European club season is all but over and it is Bayern Munich who stand on top of the European game, Jupp Heynckes having led the Bavarians back to the summit for the first time since 2001.

In the process they have also claimed the German title in record-breaking fashion, ending the season some 25 points in advance of their nearest challengers, Borussia Dortmund.

With the 7-0 aggregate defeat of Barcelona in the Champions League semifinal arguably the standout, Die Roten have proven themselves head and shoulders above all others.

The question has been asked as to how and why this has happened and Sam Tighe gave a good account on that subject yesterday.

But how exactly might their success change tactics across the European footballing landscape next season? Here's a few things to keep an eye on:

An Increase in Tactical Universality

In these days of Twitter and supporters wanting to know ever more in regards to football tactics, formations tend to be over-analysed. Teams are increasingly boxed off and marked as having a certain style and a particular formation.

However applying such relatively narrow parameters to Jupp Heynckes side would be to do them a disservice. Throughout the season they have proven a side capable of adapting to whatever the situation may be and with the personnel to execute.

Nominally, they do indeed start with a 4-2-3-1. However they have proven extremely flexible over the course of the campaign shifting to 4-4-1-1, 4-4-2, 4-3-3 and 4-5-1 at various points throughout matches, depending on the circumstance.

Stylistically, it has been a similar story. Whilst in the Bundesliga they largely dominate possession, the Champions League has been able to show their different faces. There have been matches where they've reneged from dominating themselves and have been more than happy to play on the counter-attack—the Juventus quarterfinal second leg and Barcelona tie cases in point.

The differing nuances in the respective No. 10s who have widely been preferred—Toni Kroos and Thomas Müller—have been a key reason for their flexibility. Both are extremely intelligent players continually on the lookout for space and are doubtlessly amongst the world's foremost in interpreting space on the field.

Muller does so largely in the hope of contributing a decisive moment in the final third, offering added verticality to Bayern's play. On the other hand, Kroos varies his movement in going from side to side—creating overloads on the flanks—to dropping in deep and helping Javi Martinez and Bastian Schweinsteiger dominate possession and dictate play during earlier phases.

Their respective skill sets play a big part in Bayern's ability to change formation as circumstances dictate. Such universality and flexibility has been a major weapon for Heynckes throughout the season and other coaches may well be looking towards greater flexibility from their players moving forward.

 

Defensive forwards

Whilst the primary function of a striker is to score goals, Mario Mandzukic has proven that there is more to the role at the top level than simply sticking the ball in the back of the net.

In recent times sides like Barcelona, Spain and to a lesser extent Jogi Low's Germany, have shown that it's possible to play and succeed without a traditional striker at all. Nonetheless, Mandzukic has shown that a central reference point, the classic target man, remains for the large part worth its weight in gold.

Throughout the season the Croatian, a summer arrival from Wolfsburg, has been an excellent first line of defence and has proven an upgrade on Mario Gomez. Though he doesn't have Gomez knack for simply being in the right place at the right time—although you'd have hardly noticed in Wembley's Champions League final given the manner of the opening goal—Mandzukic has been a driving force for Bayern this season, his commitment and determination unquestionable.

Trapping defenders, pressing relentlessly, creating space for midfield runners and linking play via deft touches, the aggressive striker has been an integral part of Bayern's success both in terms of attacking play and defensive vigour. Ball-playing defenders could be about to get a much harder ride from strikers across the board.

The increasing importance of the regista 

It seems simple to say, but the best passes in football are not the ones which go side-to-side. Whilst keeping possession is widely preferrable, possession for the sake of it is, in all honesty, pretty pointless. The end goal will always be to put the ball in the back of the net and never to pass fifty times per game between centre-halves.

That being said, the ability to pass to ones teammates will forever remain important. It is vertical passes in particular which are becoming increasingly vital however.

With sides like Bayern, Borussia Dortmund, Guardiola's Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao (more so last season) adopting radically high presses and swarming on opponents in increasing number, the need of players in deeper positions to break passes through the lines has proven particularly relevant. 

Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp noted after BVB's group stage success over Real Madrid that if you shut down Xabi Alonso, the Spanish side's deep-lying playmaker, the rest follows. Their inability to neutralise Schweinsteiger and Martinez at Wembley in a similar manner allowed Bayern to create a growing number of opportunities in the second period as the game became stretched.

It is by no means a new phenomenon: Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Andrea Pirlo (Juventus), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Mikel Arteta (Arsenal) and Fernandinho (Shakhtar Donetsk) all perform similar roles for their respective clubs. But the need for holding players to play splitting passes through opposing midfields into advancing teammates has never been greater.

From Tiki-Taka to Breakneck Tiki-Taka Transitions

Barcelona and Spain's tiki-taka style has been widely heralded in the past few years. However, what Bayern and also Borussia Dortmund have produced this past season has been something of a tiki-taka gone turbo.

Whilst the short, intricate passing of Los Cules has been a noticeably prominent feature in Bayern's play, the overall attitude has been one of increased verticality, especially when transitioning from defence into attack.

A side packed full of power and pace, as well as excellent technique, their ability to counter-attack and move from their own defensive third into the attacking third has placed them above their rivals.

The playing style and philosophy retains the tiki-taka traits, but is perhaps closer to the philosophy of Marcelo Bielsa—Bielsisme—due to its high tempo, high-pressure take on proceedings. Such focus places great emphasis on the physicality of the likes of last summer's key signings—Martinez, Dante and Mandzukic—as well as the speed of Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and Thomas Müller.

With the high defensive line and the (to borrow a basketball phrase) "full-court press" seemingly en vogue amongst a number of Europe's top sides, such transitions of pace and composure are likely to become a growing staple of European football.