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  • UCL 2024/25: Celtic Vs FC Bayern - Tactical Analysis & How To Coach A Modern Double Pivot

UCL 2024/25: Celtic Vs FC Bayern - Tactical Analysis & How To Coach A Modern Double Pivot

Today, we have a tactical analysis on FC Bayern's away win over Celtic in the UEFA Champions League this past week as well as a tactical theory piece on how to coach a modern double pivot.

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Today’s TFA Posts ⚽

This week marked the start of the UEFA Champions League’s highly anticipated Round of 32, with an emotional match at Celtic Park providing excellent entertainment.

European nights at Celtic are always full of passion, with the electric atmosphere providing Brendan Rodgers’ side with the belief that they could potentially snatch an unlikely result against Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Münich.

The arrival of one of Europe’s elite meant that the Bhoys knew they had to remain compact and limit the attacking threat of the Bundesliga leaders, ensuring a tasty affair when they travel to the Allianz next week.

It ultimately wasn’t to be for Celtic, with Michael Olise and Harry Kane firing the Bavarian side to a comfortable 2-0 lead either side of the half-time interval.

But Daizen Maeda’s second-half goal may have just injected further life into the tie, with Celtic emerging at just a one-goal deficit after a 2-1 final scoreline.

This opening leg provided numerous tactical narratives that must be addressed and analysed before the two sides meet again in Münich.

Whilst Celtic will rue the lapses in defensive concentration that allowed Bayern to take the lead, Vincent Kompany will be left wondering how he could set up his team next time to take advantage of some apparent issues with Celtic’s out-of-possession structure.

Jack Chippendale’s tactical analysis will highlight some of the issues that both teams faced regarding their ability to create impactful attacking sequences while also pinpointing some crucial defensive flaws that should be tweaked.

The double pivot can be a useful tactic in creating numerical superiority in the build-up phase.

It can attract opposition players towards the ball in high areas, leaving space to exploit behind their midfield line.

It can also provide stability behind the ball during the attacking phase.

The double-pivot can be created in several ways.

The most common is to have two set defensive midfielders occupy these positions.

However, in recent times, top coaches have been creative with the rotations of their players in other positions to create a more fluid double-pivot system.

Ange Postecoglou and Mikel Arteta, to name but a few, have used their full-backs in inverted positions to play alongside a lone defensive midfielder.

Pep Guardiola has taken it a step further by having a centre-back stepping up to become a second defensive midfielder.

These examples emphasize the importance these managers place on having two players controlling the centre of the pitch.

Kevin Martin’s tactical analysis will use examples from Roberto De Zerbi‘s time at Brighton and Xabi Alonso‘s Bayer Leverkusen.

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