Under Vincent Kompany, FC Bayern is thrilling fans with attacking soccer, aggressive pressing, and tremendous dominance. But ironically, the German record champions’ bold style of play could prove to be a problem against top European teams. Former Bundesliga pro Erik Meijer has taken a closer look at Munich’s system and identified a potential weakness.
Bayern has been in impressive form this season, particularly on offense. With Harry Kane, Michael Olise, and Luis Díaz, Kompany has an attacking trio capable of causing major problems for nearly any opponent.
Most recently, the Munich side impressively demonstrated their offensive strength in a 6-1 victory over RB Leipzig. However, the 3-3 draw against Viking Stavanger already showed that the team isn’t always solid defensively.
For Meijer, this is primarily due to Bayern’s attacking style of play.
Meijer warns of Bayern’s vulnerability to counterattacks
In an interview with Tribuna, the former Liverpool pro explained why the Munich team remains vulnerable despite its dominance. “A team that plays so offensively always becomes more vulnerable in transition. How is their back line organized? And how do you deal with that as an opponent? Which players do you leave up front and gamble on the counterattack?” Meijer analyzed.
The 57-year-old sees the spaces behind Bayern’s highly advanced lineup as a potential point of exploitation for opposing teams. “Bayern simply plays with a lot of players in the attack. That’s perhaps the team’s one very small weakness.”
This style of play could become a risk, especially against opponents who transition quickly after winning the ball.
On Wednesday evening, they’ll face Arsenal, an opponent with the individual quality to capitalize on such situations.
For Kompany, it will therefore be crucial to find the balance between offensive dominance and defensive solidity.
High praise for Kompany: “That’s when you’re truly one of the greats.”
Despite his critical analysis, Meijer is enthusiastic about the Bayern coach’s work.
He’s particularly impressed by how Kompany has managed to get even the team’s biggest stars involved in defensive work. “Kompany has managed to get all the stars to be willing to work for the team and do their part. Harry Kane and Olise are never too good for defensive work. If you can pull that off as a coach, you’re a true great,” the Dutchman gushed.
In doing so, Meijer highlights a crucial factor behind Munich’s success so far.
Kompany demands not only creativity and goal-scoring threat from his offensive players, but also consistent counter-pressing and a willingness to immediately track back after losing possession.
The fact that even established superstars like Kane and Olise take on these tasks speaks, in the former pro’s view, to the Bayern coach’s authority.
The challenge remains, however: the more offensively Munich plays, the more important it becomes to defend against quick counterattacks.
Whether Arsenal can exploit this perceived weakness will become clear on Wednesday evening at the Allianz Arena.