FanPost

What I'd like to see tactically in the Ruckrunde

Over the winter break, Kovac will be getting some reinforcements (guys returning from injury plus the addition of Davies), he'll have time to implement new tactics in the winter training camp, and he can respond to the flaws the team has shown in the Hinrunde by making some actual changes (which isn't easy to do in the middle of the season when you're playing twice a week).

What I'd ideally like to see happen is for him to take a page out of Pep's book, in particular peak mad scientist Pep from 2014-2015. Despite the way that season ended I continue to view it as some of the best football I've ever seen Bayern play, and I believe that squad would have won everything if not for Alaba (our best and most important player that season, and playing a totally unique and irreplaceable role) tearing his MCL at the beginning of April. Afterward, it was Boateng hung out to dry in place of Alaba when Messi made him look silly to knock us out of the UCL, we had back-to-back shootouts in the Pokal (falling to BVB), and three consecutive losses in the (already clinched) BL.

Pep tried a number of different systems that season, but the most notable was a hyper-aggressive twist on the 3-3-1-3 with Alaba at LCB pushing forward as a libero (frequently ending up on the edge of the box as a playmaker/shooting from distance or even on the left wing) [we also occasionally even saw Rafinha and Lahm playing CB but that's probably a bridge too far] and often a natural winger at one wingback spot (something like Robben across from Bernat or less frequently Ribery across from Weiser) in order to get overwhelming offensive firepower on the pitch.

So under Pep a particularly aggressive lineup might have looked something like:

Ribery Lewy Muller

Gotze

Bernat Lahm Robben

Alaba Boateng Benatia

(if you turned all of the back 6 guys into natural defenders and 4 of them into natural CBs, you'd have a pretty similar system to what Low has run out the past few matches...but Pep used it as a way to get a bunch of creative attackers on the pitch and give them room to take on defenders, force overloads, etc.)

On the current squad I think we actually have the personnel to use a variety of back 3 systems (3-4-3/3-4-2-1/3-4-1-2/3-1-4-2) but taking some ideas from that Pep season. First I'd once again let Alaba lose as that left libero where he was so dominant and transformative (using him as a CB also solves the "we can't play a back 3 with only 3 CBs" concern)--it's possible Kimmich could serve as a mirror image in a right-handed version of this setup but I'm less convinced of his ability to handle RCB defensively (despite having filled in there in a later Pep brainstorm).

Second I'd let some of our natural attackers/midfielders play big minutes at wingback in order to get more pace/dribbling/creativity/attacking firepower on the pitch. I think inserting Davies at LWB (which he's played on occasion in the MLS) would provide a natural transition where he can more directly and immediately use his natural athleticism while he adjusts to the Bundesliga. Gnabry could also play a bit of wingback (and has done so before at Hoffenheim), and it might be a place to get Sanches some good minutes as well and let him use his pace/power/dribbling/tackling abilities.

So something like:

Coman Lewy Robben

Davies Thiago Goretzka Kimmich

Alaba Hummels Sule

or like:

Lewy Muller

James

Sanches Thiago Goretzka Gnabry

Alaba Sule Boateng

Either one could give us more firepower, more dynamism and creativity, and a new approach to breaking down defenses. I really think they'd be a better use of current personnel (and to incorporate new weapons) and would give us a lot more success and flexibility than the team has shown this fall.

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