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| Schweinsteiger and Gustavo have been key to Bayern's new look midfield |
One of the first, and most unexpected, decisions was to take Schweinsteiger away from his customary wingers role, where he had been under performing for previous seasons and playing him as the lead playmaker in the center of the pitch. Schweinsteiger had said many years back that he preferred playing in the middle but his lack of first team experience in that position meant that it was always going to be a risk. Suffice to say, Schweinsteiger had taken to the position like a duck to water and immediately got the reputation of being one of the best central midfielders in the world. Van Gaal's possession football seemed to work initially, Bayern's possession numbers in the league and UEFA Champions League were second to only Barcelona and the results matched the dominance. Defensively Bayern were suspect due to a weakness in the center of defense, though Bayern were able to maintain success in Van Gaal's first season, the managers reluctance to fix the crack resulted in a collapse of his system as Bayern's constant break-down's in defence resulted in a horribly underpar season and his ultimate sacking.
Besides the visibly poor central defensive partnerships that persisted throughout last season, another of Van Gaal's sacrilegious mistakes was his complete ignorance of a defensively strong midfielder. While a partnership if Mark Van Bommel and Bastian Schweinsteiger maintained some semblance of control during the successful 2009-10 season, the deterioration of the then 33 year old Van Bommel meant that he was not able to chase players as well in the next season. While he was transferred to AC Milan in the January transfer window last season, Bayern Munich managed to pick up a coup in signing Hoffenheim's Luis Gustavo, a left-back turned defensive midfielder who had gained reputation of being a great enforcer during his previous three seasons in the small town club. Strangely enough though, Gustavo made 11 of his 14 appearances in defense either centrally or as a left back. Van Gaal's preferred central midfield partner was Toni Kroos, a young Bayern Munich youth product who had created a high reputation for himself as an attacking midfielder. Van Gaal thought he could transform him into a defensive midfielder the same way he did to Schweinsteiger but that simply did not work as Kroos' inability to defend advancing midfielders resulted in the opposition creating chances on the counter. Bayern's poor performance in the league and Champions League meant Van Gaal was removed and old favourite Juup Heynkes was input as the new manager for the upcoming season.
The Key Players:
There have been no new central midfielders brought in my Juup Heynkes therefore clearly suggesting that he already knew about the quality of Bayern's midfielders before hand. In what seems to be the same 4-2-3-1 system adopted by Van Gaal in 2009, Heynkes' shifting of players, in particular Toni Kroos, with whom Heynkes had worked extensively as manager of Bayer Leverkusen where Toni Kroos spent one and a half years on loan, has created stability and control that was never present under Van Gaal.
Toni Kroos' Resurgence and the 'Triple Pivot':
Usually we hear of 'Double Pivot' midfield systems. Once which involve two defensive midfielder with who rotate between attack defence; indeed, Van Gaal's midfield system was akin to that philosophy. When playing within a 4-2-3-1, the double pivot midfield operates behind an attacking midfield whose role is strictly to be part of the play in the final third. Kroos, though being an attacking midfielder, plays a much different role against the norm. Though I'm not even sure whether a phenomenon as such can exist, Kroos being played as the CAM in place of the regular Thomas Muller (through injury to Arjen Robben) brings up an interesting phenomenon of a 'triple pivot' central midfield system.
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| Tymoshcuk-Schweinsteiger-Muller [Bundesliga.de] |
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| Tymoshuck-Schweinsteiger-Kroos [Bundesliga.de] |
The passing plot on the left is for the match against Hamburg at home which Bayern Munich won 4-0 while the plot on the right is for the match against Herta Berlin at home, which again Bayern won 4-0.
A quick look at the two plots shows an immediate distinction. While the passing scatter on the right is a lot more stuffed towards the middle of the pitch, the scatter on the left shows a noticeable break between the middle and the attacking half of the pitch. Most of the passing in and around the box were made by Thomas Muller (Number 25), whose distinct attacking movement from Kroos was emphasized upon in a previous article (here). Thus lies the notion of the 'triple pivot'. Unlike a central midfield system used by most clubs utilizing the 4-2-3-1, the central attacker, Kroos, is given a rotating role between between being an attacking midfield and a deep playmaker, the role utilized by Schweinsteiger.
The result is a much more balanced midfield, one which is concentrated in the center and thus provides greater strengths when it comes to keeping possession. The extent of that strength was put on display in Bayern Munich's dominating performance over Manchester City whose midfield combination of Gareth Barry, Yaya Toure and David Silva is considered to be one of the best in Europe. Bayern Munich managed to hold 55% possession with Schweinsteiger, Gustavo and Kroos out passing their counterparts.
Luis Gustavo, The Defensive Wall:
As mentioned before, one of the reasons for Bayern's poor performances last season was a lack of defensive stability in the middle of midfield. Though Bayern were able to hold as much possession as they were this season, they were much more vunerable to counter attacks, especially through the center of the pitch. It comes to no surprise that this season Bayern Munich have managed to concede just three goals, compared to ten at the same moment last season. Luis Gustavo was given a miminal role in midfield last season, whether it be due to Bayern's woes in the center of defence or Van Gaal's preference. Whatever the case may be, Gustavo's greater influence this season has seen a great change in fortune in that respect.
Gustavo's defensive statistics are quite impressive, winning 67% of his challenges on the ground (almost equal footing with Hummels, 70%). His ability to mark opponents is one that can not be expressed with statistics but one would only have to go and have a look at his individual performance vs Manchester City and his fantastic guarding of the back four from the potential dangers presented by David Silva and Sergio Aguero. The area between the defenders and midfielders is one has been exploited by the best of attacking midfielders and therefore Luis Gustavo's role as the anchor in midfield is crucial to preventing not only attacking midfielders but also deep lying attackers from gaining space infront of the central defence.
Above is a example of the different approach Luis Gustavo brings to Bayern Munich's defensive midfield under Juup Heynkes. Gustavo's heat map is much more centered towards the defensive third of Bayern Munich's pitch while Toni Kroos is seen in the opposing half. The result was a 3-1 loss to Hannover in which Pinto's third goal came from attacking the space that should've been covered by Toni Kroos. Gustavo's ability is not only restricted to being a defensive enforcer, his ability to go forward should also be emphasized. It was mentioned that Kroos' ability to rotate with Schweinsteiger makes the midfield system a 'triple pivot', the third pivot does come in the form of Gustavo. Though his main role is not to go forward and contribute to the attack, Gustavo's wonderful winner against Wolfsburg in the second matchday shows that the player does have that ability to surprise to opposition with strikes at goal.
The contrast between the two performances is startling given that the gap between the two matches was barely two months. While Schweinsteiger's heat map against Inter Milan, in the final of the UEFA Champions League, shows a very restricted role, his Argentina heat map highlights how comfortable Schweinsteiger is all over the field. That attribute is one which is Schweinsteiger's greatest strength over other deep playmakers like Xabi Alonso, Luka Modric and even Xavi.
Coming to this season, Schweinsteiger seems to have gone out of his shell. The difference could be made is one that has come about due to the exit of Van Bommel but it would rather seem that Heynkes' has built his midfield in such a way to allow Schweinsteiger freedom to control whichever area of the pitch he feels necessary. This is where the roles of Kroos, Gustavo and the 'triple pivot' come into play. As mentioned during the Kroos discussion, Kroos has been seen to be playing in a much deeper position than the previous regular attacking midfielder, Thomas Mueller, and that ability to play deep is what allows Schweinsteiger greater license to roam forward and support the attack, unlike previously. A vice versa case would present itself when comparing the role of Gustavo in the midfield, primarily a defensive midfielder, his technical ability allows him to be a threat going forward so if Schweinsteiger finds himself deeper, Gustavo can take over possession further on.
The heat map of Schweinsteiger's latest home performance against Herta Berlin bares close resemblance to that against Argentina. Point of activities are shown from left to right and up and down the pitch, taking advantage of Schweinsteiger's quality as a dictator of play but also his previous five professional years as a winger. His goal was the perfect strike for a box to box midfielder as he waited from deep inside Herta Berlin's half before making a run at the perfect time to slot in Ribery's pass.
Wait, What About Robben?
This is essentially a question hanging over many Bayern fans and definitely over Heynkes. Bayern's fantastic start to the season, including dominating performances in the UEFA Champions League group of death, have all come without the man who many thought was the carrying force in the side to the point that Bayern Munich were considered a one man team. Arjen Robben has had a reputation of being a crock ever since his early days at Chelsea and that tendency of being injured for majority of a season has continued long into his Madrid and Bayern career and that is the exact reason why he has only started one match till now.
There has always been a question about whether Bayern Munich are a better team, with emphasis on the definition of 'team', without the mercurial Dutchman in their side given his habit of hogging the ball and therefore making Bayern's offensive play more predictable. With the bad was obviously the great which was Robben's ability to single-handedly win matches through his sheer ability. If Robben does come back into the team when he eventually gains fitness, the question will switch to whether Kroos or Mueller should be the central attacking midfielders.
Rotation, Rotation, Rotation
One of the keys to any successful football team. Having a strong and capable bench is paramount to being able to win a league and cup title, especially when European football is involved. Louis Van Gaal was never a fan of rotation, though Van Gaal used no less than five players alongside Schweinsteiger in central midfield, that was only due to non of them being able to put in enough convincing performances to hold down a consistent spot. Bastian Schweinsteiger was never given a rest and with the added fatigue of playing throughout the summer in the World Cup, is efforts were deeply effected as he suffered a below par season.
Heynkes has a different philosophy, rotation was a key principle to his successful three seasons at Leverkusen and he has continued that approach with Anatoliy Tymoshshuk already starting half of Bayern Munich's Bundesliga matches. Though Schweinsteiger has continued to start every match till now, it would be interesting whether Heynkes persists with those decisions when Robben returns to full fitness to take over the role as right winger in order to give Heynkes an option of playing Muller as the attacking midfielder and slotting Kroos into Schweinsteiger's position.
Luis Gustavo, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Toni Kroos have presently dominated all that they have faced, including one of the best in Europe while Tymoshshuk presents a viable support for Gustavo's position as does Kroos for Schweinsteiger. David Alaba has rarely been used this season but his goalscoring cameo against Hannover and his performances last season against Hoffenheim suggest that he too might present himself as a capable depute thereby adding to Bayern's potential strength in the middle of the park. Whether Heynkes chooses to use those options extensively though will come down to how well the most favoured three at the moment are able to continue their form deep into the season, as of right now they seem to unstoppable and if this form is carried on into the end of the season then they will surely be adding trophy medals to their cabinet.
The result is a much more balanced midfield, one which is concentrated in the center and thus provides greater strengths when it comes to keeping possession. The extent of that strength was put on display in Bayern Munich's dominating performance over Manchester City whose midfield combination of Gareth Barry, Yaya Toure and David Silva is considered to be one of the best in Europe. Bayern Munich managed to hold 55% possession with Schweinsteiger, Gustavo and Kroos out passing their counterparts.
Luis Gustavo, The Defensive Wall:
As mentioned before, one of the reasons for Bayern's poor performances last season was a lack of defensive stability in the middle of midfield. Though Bayern were able to hold as much possession as they were this season, they were much more vunerable to counter attacks, especially through the center of the pitch. It comes to no surprise that this season Bayern Munich have managed to concede just three goals, compared to ten at the same moment last season. Luis Gustavo was given a miminal role in midfield last season, whether it be due to Bayern's woes in the center of defence or Van Gaal's preference. Whatever the case may be, Gustavo's greater influence this season has seen a great change in fortune in that respect.
Gustavo's defensive statistics are quite impressive, winning 67% of his challenges on the ground (almost equal footing with Hummels, 70%). His ability to mark opponents is one that can not be expressed with statistics but one would only have to go and have a look at his individual performance vs Manchester City and his fantastic guarding of the back four from the potential dangers presented by David Silva and Sergio Aguero. The area between the defenders and midfielders is one has been exploited by the best of attacking midfielders and therefore Luis Gustavo's role as the anchor in midfield is crucial to preventing not only attacking midfielders but also deep lying attackers from gaining space infront of the central defence.
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| Gustavo vs Manchester City. [ESPN Soccernet] |
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| Toni Kroos vs Hannover [ESPN Soccernet] |
Bastian Schweinsteiger, The Titan:
As good as Kroos and Gustavo have been made out to be in this article, Bayern Munich's midfield dominance would no where be the same without Bastian Schweinsteiger in the center. Hailed as one of the best central midfielders in the world as early on 2010, Schweinsteiger was yet seen as mainly a deep playmaker, restricted to receiving the ball from deep and distributing it to the attack, while not contributing much in the final third. That was his role for Bayern Munich under Louis Van Gaal where he was playing alongside captain Mark Van Bommel, the Dutchman was seen as the more influential of the two. Schweinsteiger's role for Germany was much more different though as Schweinsteiger was seen as the leader in midfield with his immense experience amongst a young and growing team. It was for Germany, then, that we saw Schweinsteiger's immense potential as a central midfielder. Not only was he gathering the ball deep and distributing it forward but he was also one of the players in the attacking third looking to score.
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| Schweinsteiger vs Inter Milan [ESPN Soccernet] |
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| Schweinsteiger vs Argentina [ESPN Soccernet] |
Coming to this season, Schweinsteiger seems to have gone out of his shell. The difference could be made is one that has come about due to the exit of Van Bommel but it would rather seem that Heynkes' has built his midfield in such a way to allow Schweinsteiger freedom to control whichever area of the pitch he feels necessary. This is where the roles of Kroos, Gustavo and the 'triple pivot' come into play. As mentioned during the Kroos discussion, Kroos has been seen to be playing in a much deeper position than the previous regular attacking midfielder, Thomas Mueller, and that ability to play deep is what allows Schweinsteiger greater license to roam forward and support the attack, unlike previously. A vice versa case would present itself when comparing the role of Gustavo in the midfield, primarily a defensive midfielder, his technical ability allows him to be a threat going forward so if Schweinsteiger finds himself deeper, Gustavo can take over possession further on.
Wait, What About Robben?
This is essentially a question hanging over many Bayern fans and definitely over Heynkes. Bayern's fantastic start to the season, including dominating performances in the UEFA Champions League group of death, have all come without the man who many thought was the carrying force in the side to the point that Bayern Munich were considered a one man team. Arjen Robben has had a reputation of being a crock ever since his early days at Chelsea and that tendency of being injured for majority of a season has continued long into his Madrid and Bayern career and that is the exact reason why he has only started one match till now.
There has always been a question about whether Bayern Munich are a better team, with emphasis on the definition of 'team', without the mercurial Dutchman in their side given his habit of hogging the ball and therefore making Bayern's offensive play more predictable. With the bad was obviously the great which was Robben's ability to single-handedly win matches through his sheer ability. If Robben does come back into the team when he eventually gains fitness, the question will switch to whether Kroos or Mueller should be the central attacking midfielders.
Rotation, Rotation, Rotation
One of the keys to any successful football team. Having a strong and capable bench is paramount to being able to win a league and cup title, especially when European football is involved. Louis Van Gaal was never a fan of rotation, though Van Gaal used no less than five players alongside Schweinsteiger in central midfield, that was only due to non of them being able to put in enough convincing performances to hold down a consistent spot. Bastian Schweinsteiger was never given a rest and with the added fatigue of playing throughout the summer in the World Cup, is efforts were deeply effected as he suffered a below par season.
Heynkes has a different philosophy, rotation was a key principle to his successful three seasons at Leverkusen and he has continued that approach with Anatoliy Tymoshshuk already starting half of Bayern Munich's Bundesliga matches. Though Schweinsteiger has continued to start every match till now, it would be interesting whether Heynkes persists with those decisions when Robben returns to full fitness to take over the role as right winger in order to give Heynkes an option of playing Muller as the attacking midfielder and slotting Kroos into Schweinsteiger's position.
Luis Gustavo, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Toni Kroos have presently dominated all that they have faced, including one of the best in Europe while Tymoshshuk presents a viable support for Gustavo's position as does Kroos for Schweinsteiger. David Alaba has rarely been used this season but his goalscoring cameo against Hannover and his performances last season against Hoffenheim suggest that he too might present himself as a capable depute thereby adding to Bayern's potential strength in the middle of the park. Whether Heynkes chooses to use those options extensively though will come down to how well the most favoured three at the moment are able to continue their form deep into the season, as of right now they seem to unstoppable and if this form is carried on into the end of the season then they will surely be adding trophy medals to their cabinet.
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