Bayern Munich Wrap Up Bundesliga as Containment Tactic Stifles Borussia Dortmund

Bayern Munich were held to a draw by Borussia Dortmund on Saturday evening, their second consecutive Bundesliga match without a win following a shock midweek loss to Mainz. Yet despite taking just a single point from their visit to the German league's second-placed side, Bayern will look at the result as a victory.

The 0-0 meant Bayern maintained their five-point lead atop the Bundesliga table, which might as well be a mile.

Despite having won nine of their previous 10 games in all competitions in 2016, a win might not have been enough for Dortmund. Bayern had only dropped two points in the league since the second round began in January, and looking at the remaining fixtures, BVB have tougher tasks ahead, such as their meetings with Hertha BSC and the derby with Schalke, both of which will be played away from home. 

Many had hoped Saturday's match would precipitate a closer Bundesliga title race, but it looks as though Bayern are in complete control.

Pep Guardiola did exactly what he needed to do to get a favorable result from his side's visit to Dortmund. Typically, Bayern play as though they are desperate to win any game. They push the pace, throw defenders forward and try to play the whole game in their attacking half. And against most opponents, it works. Flukes do happen on occasion, such as the loss to Mainz, in which they were twice caught out. But these are extremely rare.

Yet on Saturday, we saw a much more measured and balanced Bayern. They were patient, absorbed pressure and saw out an early storm from the hosts thanks to excellence, especially from Joshua Kimmich and Arturo Vidal.

Dortmund had the majority of possession for much of the first half, yet it was Bayern who had the best chance of the opening 45 minutes when Douglas Costa failed to convert when one-on-one with Roman Burki.

Dortmund probably lined up in the best way they could to avoid losing, but after a frantic first half, their energy dropped. Erik Durm as an auxiliary right-back was an inspired tactical decision for the purposes of pressing and getting forward quickly, but when Bayern decided to settle the pace, the hosts' lack of creative presence in midfield was exposed. A Shinji Kagawa or even Gonzalo Castro type would have been useful, but it also would have come with greater risk of Bayern scoring.

As the second half wore on, Bayern's measured approach proved increasingly effective. Slow passes around the back and Xabi Alonso walking with the ball at his feet induced a sort of lethargy. They didn't need a win and didn't play like they did; theirs was a cautious approach, rarely getting caught out at the back and containing their opponents, especially in the second half.

Yet once in a while, Bayern would slam the accelerator to the floor and create a chance. BVB had precious few opportunities to score in the second half; Bayern had several and could well have won.

Bayern's pragmatic approach to their meeting with Dortmund bodes well for their upcoming matches. Saturday could well be a preview of their Champions League round-of-16 second-leg clash with Juventus, a side that needs to win at the Allianz Arena or score at least two goals in a draw on March 16. Bayern ought not to approach that match desperate to win, and by controlling the pace and sitting back when necessary, they should be able to progress even without a victory.

It's uncertain whether Dortmund, anticipating a possible DFB-Pokal final meeting with Bayern, used the latter stages of Saturday's match as a tactical test to see whether they could hold on for a 90-minute draw in the cup. They certainly didn't go all out for the three points. Far from it. And the result showed as much. With BVB lacking good decision-making in the final third and Bayern's attackers not quite at their sharpest, little separated the teams.

But the result also showed Bayern have a different tactical approach they can fall back on in the big games. They can't approach a meeting with Barcelona or Paris Saint-Germain the way they approach the average Bundesliga fixtures against Darmstadt and Augsburg, and Saturday's performance showed they are more than capable of making a quick switch to a style that is much more applicable to stronger opponents.

As such, Bayern just became much more serious contenders for a treble.

@Mr_Bundesliga