With each pass, Bayern Munich looked to pass horizontally, ignoring passes on the ball side in favor of passing to the far side, avoiding playing several passes on one side of the pitch. This stretched Tottenham and every player shared the same mindset.

This is different from passing side to side endlessly, something I have complained about in teams like England, for example. Bayern Munich play through the middle, but no matter where they pass the ball, their first thought is to play to the other side of the pitch.

Play to the other side because eventually the pass into the box will open up because Tottenham could never get into position to challenge the ball. They were having to constantly rotate their hips and chase.

It is important that the team share the same mindset because then the runs being made are tailored to the pass. When Gabriel Vidovic peels off on the right, Thomas Müller is ready for the pass on the far side.

Most would play to Serge Gnabry, but if Vidovic plays to Gnabry, then he would be forced into a one-v-one or pass back to Sacha Boey. Vidovic pealed off to the right to attract Tottenham to the ball-side, but you can tell the goal is to switch.

Vincent Kompany spoke after the game about why they did not start with a natural center-forward:

It was purely tactical, based on the spaces we could create. We have players flexible enough to execute that. Tottenham are one of the highest pressing teams in England. […] They don’t really allow any controlled possession. So for us, it was important to create danger from the moment we had the ball. I think we did that really well. If you play with two number tens and two wingers on the top line, it’s about how many people finish in the box. When we finished in the box, we always had numbers; that’s why we created chances. For this game, it was this tactic. Maybe another game it will be something else. It depends on the opponent.

I think the tactic of constantly looking for the pass to the other side of the pitch will persist despite the fact that the players picked were for the opponent because it was effective.

It was a very effective way of playing against Tottenham because they do try to press high, although their press is a bit half-hearted. Defenders are rarely challenging the man from behind with the same intensity as Bayern Munich. Tottenham are already stretched across the pitch attempting to press high, then you throw in constant switches of play, and as Munich zigzag around the pitch, space into the box opens up.

They created danger by always playing the most dangerous pass. Never allowing Tottenham to settle on one side of the pitch. Each pass opens up a vertical switch of play, which was a goal of previous manager Thomas Tuchel, but the pattern of thought that goes into each pass before the switch is what sets their passing patterns apart. Kompany’s method makes the game more open, while Tuchel’s method creates moments in the channels.

Match: Bayern Munich 2-1 Tottenham, 3 August 2024