The Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain is the subject of intense debate at FC Bayern. The style of play under Vincent Kompany in particular is coming under increasing scrutiny. Bayern legend Oliver Kahn has now also expressed his criticism of the Belgian’s system – and criticized Munich’s defensive vulnerability in particular
In the 1:1 semi-final second leg against PSG, FC Bayern suffered the decisive setback after just a few minutes. Ousmane Dembélé scored early to give the French side the lead and increased the pressure on Vincent Kompany’s team enormously
For Oliver Kahn, this scene was symptomatic of Bayern’s problems. Speaking to Sky, the former world-class keeper was highly critical of Munich’s tactical approach. „You’ve seen in recent weeks that Kompany’s system involves a lot of risk,“ explained Kahn
Especially when control of the game is lost, the team becomes extremely vulnerable. „If you lose a bit of control in this system, you quickly see how vulnerable it can be,“ criticized the former Bayern captain
Kahn is particularly critical of the many goals conceded in recent weeks. Despite spectacular comebacks and offensive spectacles, the defensive instability has left its mark. „Players always worry, even if you win 4:3 after trailing 0:3,“ said Kahn
In his view, it was precisely this uncertainty that was also noticeable against PSG. „And then exactly what happened against Paris happens. It doesn’t take two or three minutes…“, explained the 56-year-old, referring to the early goal conceded
Kahn misses alternatives
Kahn sees the coordination in defence as a particular problem. Before the 0:1, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia had caused major problems for the Bayern defence with a deep run. Above all, the interplay between Dayot Upamecano and Konrad Laimer was „not optimal“, analyzed Kahn
If this coordination did not work, Kompany’s system would „backfire in no time“, warned the former national keeper
At the same time, Kahn criticized the fact that FC Bayern had recently relied too much on their enormous attacking quality: „You can’t always score four goals if you get two or three,“ he made clear
In fact, Munich had turned around several spectacular games in the previous weeks – including the 4-3 win over Mainz after trailing 3-0 and the dramatic quarter-final victory against Real Madrid
In Kahn’s opinion, however, the record champions lacked tactical flexibility against PSG and failed to show a real plan B in the semi-final. „In modern soccer, it’s not important to play a rigid system, but to be able to implement many different ideas,“ explained the Bayern legend
Kahn’s statements are likely to further fuel the debate about the balance between spectacle and stability at FC Bayern. Especially after the bitter semi-final exit against PSG, the question is increasingly being asked as to whether Munich need to become even more stable defensively in order to achieve a major triumph.