“Today I'm not smart enough,” Thomas Tuchel whispered somewhat discouraged into the microphone after the 2-2 draw against Real Madrid.main video“. A little “too greedy” here, a little too impatient there. The coach's plan worked well for much of the game.

“We need good periods of possession of the ball,” said the coach before the game: “We have the feeling that we can hurt them if we play them in the right spaces. At the same time, we have to be very attentive.” , “because they are probably the best at the Switching game in Europe are”.

Thus the framework was established and Bayern entered the game well. The rooms they wanted to use were mainly in the wings and half rooms. Especially on the right wing, the Munich team repeatedly tried to overload and made good attacks, because this meant that Madrid's midfield could often be left out of position. Even Sane, as a left winger, moved towards the center several times.

FC Bayern Munich: Pragmatism in its purest form

But Bayern did not take big risks. Pragmatism in its purest form. You could almost say: a performance like that of Real Madrid. Cautious possession, many players behind the ball to avoid counterattacks and rarely very high when pressing.

Konrad Laimer later analyzed that the game was like a roller coaster. Toni Kroos said that, although it may seem strange, the goals always went to the team that was weaker at that moment. The ups and downs are also explained by the fact that both teams fought each other with similar means for long periods.

It was a bit as if Real Madrid were playing against Real Madrid. No spectacle, no high pace, but an attempt to appear as controlled as possible. Carlo Ancelotti reacted to Bayern's good initial phase by specifically entrusting Aurelien Tchouameni to maintain his position in the centre. This gave Madrid the stability it needed to defend itself against Bayern's attacks.

Bayern likes Real Madrid, but not so scammed

The really big difference between the original and this one. FC Bayern However, the Munich people sometimes lost their cool. Especially Leon Goretzka was too agitated in midfield. Unlike Laimer, the 29-year-old could not get into the game and abandoned his position against the ball too often.

This also applies to Minjae Kim, who lets herself be taken out at 0-1 and then has no chance in the race match. Small things that are coldly punished at this level and especially by Real Madrid. The Royals have been playing this type of football for many years and exude absolute confidence in all situations.

Bayern, on the other hand, occasionally lost exactly that security and became impatient or, in Tuchel's words: “too greedy.” It is also a bit of the story of Tuchel's failure at FCB: a squad accustomed to proactive, aggressive and offensive football meets a coach who wants to teach them pragmatism.

Long after the decision to part ways with Tuchel, you can now see in the Champions League what this type of football can be worth. Bayern struggled to contain greed and stay disciplined. But when they did, at least they were on par with Real Madrid.

Bayern scores against the development of the game, especially at high speed

With Raphael Guerreiro, Tuchel brought a little more pressure and playing ability to the midfield. He Portuguese He may not be Kroos, but he helped Munich gain more control in their own possession phases.

Against the run of play, Bayern scored two goals, mainly thanks to their speed, and then gained this advantage with other good shots. But even in this phase there was a significant difference compared to the original: Real Madrid is more clinical, more efficient and mercilessly punishes every mistake, no matter how small.

The reason why in the end Bayern does not have to talk about a 3-1 victory, but rather a 2-2, is because it does not have this quality. No matter how outstanding the offensive team is, it is striking that it needs a relatively large number of opportunities to score.

This is also one of the reasons why Real Madrid is left without a center forward, while Bayern failed in the same plan a season earlier. In fact, FCB had the Royals in trouble. But then the greed returned. Kim let himself be carried away by another mistake and Madrid went home happy with a 2-2.

Bayern plays like Real Madrid, but two differences may be too big

In reality, it is not enough for Bayern. And yet this performance is full of ambivalence. On the one hand, there is the realization that Bavarian pragmatism in its good phases approaches the Spanish The Original may match. This is a great boost for the second leg.

Especially because until a few weeks ago almost no one seemed to believe that anything in the Champions League was possible with this team. Now you are one victory away from the final.

And yet, the two big differences with Real Madrid (efficiency and patience) may be too big. A victory in the first leg was possible and would have made the difficult task of surviving in Madrid a little easier.

The fact that Bayern's performance in the Champions League is now very similar to that of the Royals is what put them in the position to reach the final in the first place. However, the original might be too copied.