Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich punished Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea on their return to the Champions League, beating the Blues 3-1.
Bayern held 56% possession in the match, but it was their off ball work that saw them create their best chances, forcing Chelsea into a handful of errors leading to goals.
Kompany’s men won 52% of the duels in the match, with the Belgian coach visibility barking orders in the press from the sideline and applauding their success from these moments.
While the experience, or lack thereof in this Chelsea side clearly didn’t help them to manage those moments, there were some glimmers of the game plan working, with Cole Palmer’s role in particular catching the eye.
In this article, we’ll cover:
Bayern Munich’s man for man press
While all three of their goals came from Chelsea mistakes, Bayern Munich’s intensity out of possession forced turnovers from the Blues, leading to those chances which ultimately decided the game.
Both the second and third goal came from Bayern’s man-to-man pressing scheme, winning the ball back inside Chelsea’s half and getting to the penalty area in minimal touches.
With Michael Olise stepping onto Marc Cucurella at left-back and Luis Diaz tracking Malo Gusto at right-back, Bayern were looking to trap Chelsea down the flanks and regain possession from there.
Konrad Laimer was stepping out from right-back for Bayern to cover Enzo Fernandez in the pocket, leaving a three-on-three in the last line with Dayot Upamecano shifting over to cover Pedro Neto.
The overall pressing intensity was too much for the inexperienced Chelsea side to handle, forcing errors which ended up being costly.
Chelsea’s gameplan
Maresca set up his side in a similar fashion to the Club World Cup final, starting Reece James in midfield, Gusto at right-back and Cole Palmer on the right.
This dynamic saw Palmer drifting inside, dragging Josip Stanisic away at left-back, opening up space for the runs of Gusto on the overlap.
However, the man-to-man press of Bayern saw Chelsea struggle to retain possession for long spells, often forcing long balls into Joao Pedro instead.
But another costly factor of this setup was Trevoh Chalobah’s positioning from goal-kicks, taking up Gusto’s right-back position while Robert Sanchez stepping into the right centre-back area on the ball, forming a temporary 4-2 base in build up.
We saw this increased distance between Chalobah and Tosin Adarabioyo cost Maresca’s men for the third goal, as Harry Kane received in acres of space, not even having to take a touch to set up his shot.
Bayern’s rotations mesmerize Chelsea press
Bayern’s out of possession approach was brilliant, but that shouldn’t take away from the in possession details of Kompany’s side and how they dragged Chelsea’s block apart with their rotations.
Maresca often opts for an aggressive man to man press, much like Bayern deployed against the Blues, instructing central defenders to follow their forward counterparts into deeper zones.
This allowed both Kane and Serge Gnabry to cause some havoc, dropping extremely deep to drag those centre-backs away and opening space for the likes of Diaz and Olise to run into.
Kane took this one step further, being able to withstand the pressure of Chalobah who often followed him out, being able to turn and play forwards himself, adding that extra quality of final ball.
The 32-year-old became the English player with the most goal contributions in the Champions League after netting twice, scoring his 41st and 42nd goals in the competition.
- Fantastic Promotions
- Fun Social Media Content
- New Bookmaker
#AD 18+ *New customers only. Bet £5+ in a single real-money bet within 7 days of registration to receive £20 in Free Bets and 2 Rocket Odds Boosts, credited within 24 hours of qualifying bet settlement. Free Bets and Rocket Odds Boosts expire 7 days after credit. Stake not returned. Promotional Terms Apply. 18+. Gambleaware.org
Cole Palmer’s stage
Despite a loss on their return to the big stage, one man in particular showed he is made for this level with his performance on the night.
The 23-year-old made his ninth Champions League appearance, scoring his second goal in the competition and was unfortunate not to have a third.
Palmer’s role in the game was tweaked by Maresca, starting from the right but drifting inside to receive the ball on his instep, finding those pockets of space between the lines to launch Chelsea’s attacks.
Everything good the Blues did came through the young midfielder, who had 43 touches, made two key passes and took two shots in the match.
His finish for the first goal was excellent, guiding it into the roof of the net to ensure Manuel Neuer had no chance of saving it.
There are positives to take from the game for Maresca and plenty to learn from going forwards, with the key detail being mistakes will cost you at the highest level.
Meanwhile, for Bayern, Kompany made it six wins from six in all competitions this campaign, deserving the victory for their outstanding out of possession work on the night.