Bergas Brillianto speaks to Vincent Kompany and Alexander Blessin about how a recurrence of a classic defensive system, paired with pressing, is bringing better performances for teams in Germany
Bayern Munich are now top of the Bundesliga table (at the time of writing). They have 26 points from 10 games. They haven’t lost a single game and have conceded just seven goals. Talk of Vincent Kompany’s tactics has been all over the place. But one topic that has attracted a lot of attention and discussion is the new Bayern coach’s use of man-to-man marking out of possession.
Generally speaking, man-to-man marking is nothing new in the Bundesliga. Tobias Escher said in his Bohndesliga podcast that man-to-man marking was already a feature of the Bundesliga in the 1990s. But this season it’s becoming more and more common (again). Pick any Bundesliga game every week and you are likely to find a team using it to press their opponents. I happened to watch the VfB Stuttgart vs. Eintracht Frankfurt game last weekend and it only took me the first 10 minutes to see that both teams were using man marking. I took the screenshots here to prove it.
It seems that Bundesliga teams love to use man-to-man marking (again and again). But the question is: why? Especially in this era, when a lot of coaches follow (Pep) Guardiola’s ways by using the zonal system. Or, as Jon Mckenzie wrote in his blog, there is a hybrid pressing system that tries to take advantage of both zonal and player-oriented systems. This is a balance system because the front foot of the man-to-man system is too risky, and nowadays many teams try to sign press-resistance players to solve the problem of the man-to-man system.
The Easiest System for Big Club(s)
I believe that the context of the team is important in understanding some footballing principles. I had the opportunity to ask Vincent Kompany specifically why he often plays this man-to-man system for Bayern. His answer helped me understand why many top teams use it: It is the easiest system to implement. “This (man-to-man) is easier for this team rather than if I set up with a 4-1-4-1 press, where the (number) nine need to split (between) defenders,” Kompany said.
It seems that Kompany is referring to the 4-1-4-1 as a zonal system, and this statement led me to this logic: A top team knows that the quality of its squad is superior to most of the team, so it can use that quality as an advantage to win the ball in one-on-one situations in all areas of the pitch. And rather than using a zonal that makes the opponent able to play from the back more comfortably, why not use the squad advantage to disrupt the build-up, as well as direct attack, from the very beginning?
The implementation is also very straightforward: all 10 outfield players will man-mark all the opponent’s outfield players during the build-up. Each player will try to stand close to the player he is marking. Sometimes it doesn’t matter if they don’t have a particular structure or shape (like 4-4-2, 5-4-1, etc.) in their out-of-possession phase, as long as all the opponent’s outfield players are covered. Bayern wanted to make sure that their opponents couldn’t pass freely (as there weren’t any free targets).
This has been the case so far this season, and it has worked very well for Bayern. In games against St. Pauli and Werder Bremen, for example, Bayern’s man-to-man and individual quality resulted in them conceding zero shots on target and a combined 0.08 xG. And so far Bayern has the least expected goal against (xGA) numbers in the entire league and they just had five clean-sheets in a row for league games before the international break.
After the game against Bayern, St. Pauli coach Alexander Blessin and captain Jackson Irvine made statements highlighting how Bayern’s individual quality, especially at the back, made St. Pauli often failed to unlock the attack. St Pauli like to play the ball straight forward, hoping to exploit the space behind their opponents’ line. But it didn’t work at all against Bayern. St. Pauli had just three shots on target all night and completed just 55 passes in Bayern’s half of the pitch, compared to 456 for Bayern at the other end.
And Followed by the Entire League
This man-to-man logic applies not only to Bayern, but to any Bundesliga team that feels it has a better, or at least equal, squad than its opponents. Take Werder Bremen, for example. Facing second-bottom Holstein Kiel last weekend, Werder played a man-to-man defence whenever Kiel tried to build up from the back. This successfully limited Kiel to just 62 passes in the Bremen half, and made them only 72% accurate passes the entire game. Bremen ran out 2-1 winners.
Union Berlin is another team that can be used as a good example of how to implement this man-to-man marking. They love to disrupt the opponent’s build-up with this system, trying to prevent them from attacking through the middle. And it helps Union to have a really good defensive unit. They have conceded just eight goals in 10 games (third best) and have conceded the second fewest shots on target in the league. Their defence is very solid and that’s why they sit in sixth place, one place above Borussia Dortmund.
Teams such as Freiburg, Wolfsburg, and Heidenheim have also been known to use man-to-man tactics against their opponents. The former, under new coach Julian Schuster, have been known to play very forward with man-to-man when they are out of possession, which has helped them to become the second best team in terms of xGA behind Bayern. Not only that, but they are now in the top three in terms of shots on target conceded and the third fewest in opponent’s box entries numbers. Freiburg like to force their opponents’ build-up to the side, avoiding dangerous short passes that could be dangerous attacks.
And the list of Bundesliga teams using a man-to-man system goes on and on. The league has fallen in love with it. And it is important to understand that the man-marking system is more of a defensive tool than an offensive one. In other words, it was used to neutralise the opponent’s attack from the very beginning and make them lose the ball as quickly as possible. It is not always about helping teams to create many chances through counter-attack or transition. That’s why Bayern and Freiburg, for example, have yet to score from the counter-attack, even though they play a man-to-man system. Of course, teams that have the kind of superiority to use man-to-man marking can also likely generate good chances without relying on transitions.
As Kompany said when I asked him about the system, man-to-man marking is useful “to make sure you end up in defensive action quicker.” A lot of teams like to defend from the start to make sure their opponents don’t have too many chances to get into the box. This is because, in many cases, most teams stuck in a man-to-man system are able to avoid losing the ball near their own box and counterattack simply by pushing the ball forward. And the other team, the one using the system, is happy with that. It is better to neutralise the long ball and the opponent’s numerical disadvantage than to let the opponent’s attacking unit attack with the short ball through the middle.
And… this system is working pretty well for the Bundesliga in general, as the defensive aspect has improved this season. On average per 90 minutes, the number of entries to the penalty box, shots taken inside the box and expected goals in the Bundesliga are all down on last season. This shows how man-to-man marking out of possession has become one of the reasons why the Bundesliga is generally getting better defensively. After 10 games, there are also 3 teams yet to concede double figures.
It is also the reason why, according to Opta, the number of high-turnover attacks (where a team regains possession from an opponent within 40 metres of their own goal line) in the Bundesliga has fallen from an average of 15.04 per game to just 13.61 this season. Meanwhile, the percentage of successful long balls has dropped from 54.6% to 53.8%, showing that many teams seem to know how to neutralise the long ball as an escape route (as it is also hard to send long balls effectively under pressure). Then it is also not surprising that the Bundesliga is the most direct league compared to the other top 4.
But It Hurts the Lesser-Team(s)
When I asked specifically about this system, St. Pauli coach Alexander Blessin says that, in theory, man-to-man is the easiest way to press. This is because the instructions from the coach and the direction for the players are clear— players know exactly which opponents they are supposed to press according to the coach’s instructions. It can be applied as it is on the pitch. But sometimes the practicalities and the results are not as simple as the theory. Because, as Blessin added, you need the right players. And he was speaking from experience.
In their first three games, Blessin and his team tried to play with more attacking intent, but they failed. St. Pauli were in the top three in the PPDA metric, but they scored just one goal, conceded six and lost all three games. By playing up front, St. Pauli were often caught out in transition and that really hurt them. Blessin then dropped his team’s defensive line in favour of a more back-footed, ball-oriented press. And the results followed, St. Pauli became safer defensively and they started to get better results (at least they had a win and a draw).
Blessin realised that he didn’t have a squad capable of implementing man-marking every weekend. St. Pauli are usually the team that is inferior to their opponents in terms of numbers. So it’s a big risk for them to play that system, and the risk they take is greater than the benefit they can get. Sometimes, however, there are teams in the Bundesliga who are willing to take that risk, even though they know they are often an inferior side. Holstein Kiel are that team.
Kiel are currently second from bottom in the Bundesliga, with just 5 points from 10 games and 25 goals conceded. Six of those goals came in one game: against Bayern. And that was because Kiel were so brave in playing man against Bayern’s build-up. Then the decision turned into a disaster because Bayern, with their individual quality, were able to escape from Kiel’s man-marking. I also saw Kiel try to do the same to Bremen’s build-up in the last game, and again it was avoided. If this system works in most cases, it’s getting really difficult for Kiel at times.
How to Escape from This Trap?
As I mentioned above, most teams that get caught in man-to-man often escape by simply sending long balls forward. However, there are several instances where teams are able to break out of their man-marking. Bayern, for example, use individual quality and positional manipulation to get around the system. It can look like this: Jamal Musiala, who usually plays as an advanced midfielder, often drops deep in the build-up. Raphael Guerreiro, who has recently played at right-back, will also move into a midfield position, while Joshua Kimmich, as a No 6, will drop deep to play alongside the centre-backs.
These moves are designed to confuse the opponents who mark the players: Do they have to follow the player? If so, will it create space for Bayern because they need to follow their marker? And the doubt, confusion and space created was later used by Bayern to escape from the man-marking system. It is also very helpful to have players like Musiala who can resist pressure and turn or change their body quickly. That’s why he’s often used by Kompany as a receiver in the second line during Bayern’s build-up.
Meanwhile, Xabi Alonso and his Bayer Leverkusen team are trying to get out of a pressing situation by manipulating space. The Leverkusen players often try to move together to one side of the pitch, knowing that the opposition players will follow. This creates a lot of space at the other end, where Leverkusen can pass the ball to a player who is not in the same position as their opponents. Leverkusen are still one of the best teams in the league in terms of their ability to switch sides when they have the ball.
VfB Stuttgart under Sebastian Hoeness have another way of escaping this trap. Their double pivot likes to drop back in the build-up phase to try and get as close as possible to their centre-backs. Full-backs with wide cover in the first line, so they will have six players in the first phase of their build-up. Hoping that their opponents will follow suit and press with six men, Stuttgart will try to get the ball out as quickly as possible to their attacking unit, who also like to drop deep to receive the ball. This will allow them to quickly create a 4 vs 4 situation up front.
But again, this kind of escape route only benefits the team with the better quality squad. And because not every team has the likes of Xabi Alonso, Sebastian Hoeness or Jamal Musiala, the man-to-man system is often avoided by simply sending a long ball forward. It’s not an effective way of keeping possession, but it does help to prevent counter-attacks. And it’s no surprise that, with so many teams reluctant to take any risks, the Bundesliga is full of ‘ping-pong’ games where the possession sequence changes quickly from one side to the other.
And for the team playing the man-marking system itself, if they know it has failed in the first phase, as they might against the likes of Stuttgart, Bayern or Leverkusen, they will also try to return to their defensive shape and organise their pressing in many situations. It may not always be man-to-man all the way across the pitch (anymore), but they will often revert to a zonal system or try to consistently overload one area. They can back to 5-4-1 or 4-4-2 shape with mid or low block. And again, the change has helped them to be safer defensively.
Header image copyright Riiana Izzietova
