FC Bayern Forum

With long balls behind the wing backs...
High pressing in their own half.
Closing down the wings and and central attacking midfielder.

I've tried this on football manager 2014 with Borr.Monchengladbach. HT score 1-2 behind, final score 1-4

Play them in basketball

I think it would have to be a hybrid version of two recent German philosophies. The dortmund high-pressing philosophy but curtailed (limited) in its tendency to overextend by the Bayern gameplan that was utilized against Barcelona in the CL Semi-finals.

If you noticed, the Barca game in particular we played a counter-attacking game because we knew it was very ambitious and almost foolish to try to play a pure possession game against Barca. However at the same time our counter-attack game was not simply park the bus it was a very organized closing of space with timed hyper-pressing. This system was slightly different to Mourinho Park the Bus -> Lob -> Counter-Attacks. Or Dortmunds - consistent intense pressing with furious counter-attacks. This was a tactical hyper pressing with intelligent organization.

In order to beat this current Bayern; a team would have to use Jupps gameplan vs Barca in the semi-finals but take it one step further in the sense that they will need to add the break-ability, speed, and transitioning of Dortmund (arguably the best counter-attacking team in the world).

1. Organized two lines of defence that are tactically closing space without tiring themselves out.
2. Not constant pressing but TIMED hyper-pressing.
3. Dortmund like transitions
4. Manduzukic like striker to track back and put pressure on Kroos/Thiago/Schweinsteiger throughout the game.
5. Clinical finishing / conversion rate.

Its a very tough ask because for a system like the one mentioned above to work not only do all your players have to be tactically sound but there has to be a very high level of understanding and chemistry among them which can only be achieved by having a period that is fairly injury-free. Dortmund currently are the only playstyle that can still beat us but due to their injury problems they are unable to maybe advance their philosophy and instead of being 'gung-ho heavy metal' all the time if they were to bring in some defensive symphony with bouts of pressing in there they could be really scary.

But by that same option Pep is too smart and adjusts really quickly and he could just fuck this system up again by playing a ball winner like Javi Martinez as a CAM again also the fact that Muller as a player in the big games is unmarkable at times so no amount of tactical organization can really isolate his wacky runs. Which is why I think this gameplan to beat Bayern can be viable at best over a SINGLE GAME. Over two legs due to Pep's adaptability this Bayern is imho unbeatable.

I don't think anyone can beat us at the possession game anymore not even Barca; that is the Pep factor. I mean we have Kroos, Schweinsteiger, Thiago, Gotze and Lahm...don't think people can beat us at possession in the midfield.

Hard work, hardcore pressing, great transitions and fast counter-attacks with clinical finishing is the only way to beat us and the only team that come close in those criterias is Dortmund. Madrid has the counter attacks and clinical finishing but they lose out in the hard work and pressing categories. The only thing with Dortmund is that they don't have the depth to play the ultra-pressing they do without immense stress on their starting 11 hence the injuries. Which is why logically if they were more intelligent with their pressing like the Bayern vs Barca last year then they could possibly beat us at least until they get more squad depth.