Vincent Kompany’s BLAZING Bayern | FM26 Tactical Recreation
Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich side, in 24/25, were absolutely electric!
They dominated the Bundesliga, playing a brand of exciting, attacking football that could control any opponent at any time; they tasted cruel, cruel defeat, however, in Milan, as they failed to beat Inter Milan over two legs in the UEFA Champions League.
This season, however, Bayern Munich look better than ever, with vengeance in their eyes…
In their first 18 league games, Bayern have scored an astonishing 71 goals – this equates to almost FOUR goals per game!
They look like the best team in Europe, and certainly a force to be reckoned with in 25/26…
Let’s break down exactly what makes them so incredible.
Roaming Full-Backs and Playmaking Striker/’10’s
Bayern’s full-backs and ‘front two’ are the team’s tactical Swiss Army Knives, each possessing the tactical intelligence and autonomy to roam from their positions to find more advantageous positions that, importantly, compliment the players around them.
This is most evident with the side’s two ‘roaming full-backs’, of whom, from build-up, initially hold a higher, inverted position in the half-spaces to pin the opposition deeper – this creates space ahead of the side’s centre-backs, of whom can then carry forward relatively unchallenged.
An example of this can be seen below:
I managed to recreate this perfectly in FM26, as showcased in the in-game ‘Visualiser’ below:
In the progression and final third phases, the full-backs are, again, given licence to move forward and roam around, often attacking the half-spaces, as shown below:
The full-backs aren’t the only players given complete licence to roam, however.
Both the ‘10’ and striker in this system, Kane and Gnabry this season, can quite literally move anywhere they would like - sometimes, you could find one or both in line with the double-pivot, they can move that deep!
To allow for this to occur, the roaming full-backs can actually temporarily swap positions with them.
Additionally, the pair can situationally move wider to form wide overloads - an example of both scenarios can be seen below:
Aggressive 2-2-6 In-Possession Shape
When Bayern reach the final third, they want to pin opposition teams into their own half, and their strategy for doing this may, at first, seem overkill, however, there is method in the madness.
Bayern’s in-possession shape, when in the final third, will transform into a very flexible 2-2-6 shape.
From here, Bayern create ideal conditions for overloads, link-up/relationist approaches, and the counter-press - the latter being due to the incredibly short distances between players, closing the distance they’d need to cover to enact such an aggressive counter-press.
Additionally, this shape accommodates more and more width the higher Bayern progress up the pitch, eventually stretching the opposition’s defence and, thus, opening the half-spaces.
I managed to perfectly recreate this 2-2-6 in-possession shape in-game, as showcased by the in-game ‘Visualiser’ tool:
Let’s Break Down the Tactic
In Possession:
In build-up, Bayern want to instantly get on the front foot, and Neuer emphasises this by immediately releasing the ball – usually shorter, to a centre-back.
Once Bayern have progressed through build-up, which tends to be with ease, they will often look to draw the opposition higher, before playing the ball in-behind for an attacker to chase – this helps the side to gain territory in the opposition’s half; additionally, they will often look for the underlapping runs from the roaming full-backs to penetrate the opposition’s high/mid-block.
Once they reach the final third, Bayern quickly look to establish sustained dominance in the opposition’s half – this means they rarely ever shoot from distance, rather retaining possession and searching for another avenue to goal, such as cut-backs.
In general, Kompany’s Bayern predominantly use shorter passes to sustain pressure, whilst operating at a flexible tempo that can rise or fall on demand.
Finally, their players are given licence to express themselves often.
Out of Possession:
When Bayern lose the ball, they will immediately launch an aggressive counter-press to try and regain the ball instantly.
If they fail to win the ball back, Bayern are persistent in their attempts and will often force teams back as a result of their intense, relentless high-press.
From opposition goal-kicks, Bayern will usually go man-to-man all over the pitch, aiming to possess the initiative like they do when they have the ball.
Player Roles
Ball-Playing Goalkeeper | Sweeper Keeper:
In this system, Neuer is omni-present both in-possession and out.
When Bayern have possession, Neuer will move very high to join the centre-backs to form a back-three; Should he receive the ball, Neuer can assess the game’s situation before deciding whether to distribute shorter or go a bit more direct.
When Bayern don’t have the ball, Neuer holds a very high position and is very proactive in sweeping and cross-claiming.
(WBR/DR) Advanced Wing-Back | Full-Back:
Both full-backs, in this system, are given complete licence to roam in-line with the idea of the ‘roaming full-backs; however, there is a slight difference in what the pair do when they receive the ball.
On the right side, Laimer tends to direct his carries of the ball in accordance with the positioning of Olise: If Olise is holding the width, Laimer will carry inside and if Olise is sitting a bit narrower, Laimer will carry outside.
However, the aim of both full-backs is to, ultimately, reach the byline and supply a cut-back into an attacker in the box.
(DCR) Ball-Playing Centre-Back | Centre-Back:
On the right side of the back-two, Upamecano will usually hold a much wider position in build-up, creating space for either Neuer or a midfielder to drop in alongside the centre-backs.
When he receives the ball, he will often carry forwards, especially when space has been created to do so.
Furthermore, when Bayern have possession higher up the pitch, both centre-backs will regularly penetrate the opposition with progressive passes.
(DCL) Ball-Playing Centre-Back | Centre-Back:
Conversely, on the left side, Tah doesn’t carry forward as much as Upamecano, nor does he move wider as often.
However, akin to his defensive counterpart, he will regularly look to penetrate the opposition with progressive passes.
(WBL/DL) Advanced Wing-Back | Full-Back:
Stanišić, on the left side, unlike Laimer, will more regularly carry the ball inside when he has it.
Like his counterpart, however, his ultimate aim is to consistently reach the byline and supply cut-backs for Bayern’s attackers in the box.
Deep-Lying Playmaker | Central Midfielder:
In this system, Kimmich is the epitome of a ‘Deep Lying Playmaker’, able to drop towards the ball, between the centre-backs, or situationally move higher; Often, this will see Kimmich also dropping to the right-side of the centre-backs in a faux quarter-back position.
When he receives the ball, Kimmich will tend to dictate the tempo of the game, safely retaining and recycling possession before situationally trying to break the lines or playing the ball in-behind for an attacker/full-back to chase.
Defensive Midfielder | Central Midfielder:
On the other side of the double-pivot, Goretzka is primarily asked to hold his position.
A key nuance in his role, however, is the ability for him to drop deeper and wider alongside the centre-backs to situationally create a 3-1 rest defence/build-up base.
Free Role | Centre Forward:
Gnabry and Kane both epitomise the ‘Free Role’, as they’re able to move anywhere and everywhere, whenever they please, to get on the ball and create for themselves or their team-mates.
However, there is a slight difference in the pair’s respective roles: Kane tends to drop deeper than Gnabry more often, hence the difference in roles.
When he receives the ball, Gnabry can turn and carry forward, before linking up with a team-mate in close proximity or creating a chance for himself or a team-mate.
Furthermore, from this position, Gnabry will tend to make penetrative runs in-behind.
When Bayern don’t have the ball, Gnabry and Kane will both step up and form the front-two in Bayern’s 4-4-2 out-of-possession shape.
Advanced Playmaker | Tracking Centre Forward:
As aforementioned, both Gnabry and Kane closely represent a ‘Free Role’ – however, Kane will tend to drop deeper more often than his counterpart, and this represents the difference in the two roles.
Additionally, Kane will tend to shoot a lot more than his team-mates.
When Bayern don’t have the ball, Kane will tend to drop deeper to support his team-mates in defence, leaving Gnabry higher as a quick counter-attacking option.
Wide Forward | Wide Midfielder:
On the right side, Olise is a crucial part of Bayern’s attack.
Both wingers, in this system, will predominantly hold the width – however, Olise has a lot more autonomy than his winger counterpart, as he can situationally move inside to link up with the attackers/full-backs in the centre.
When he receives the ball, Olise will tend to cut inside often, before either shooting, cutting back outside to reach the byline (even more autonomy!), or release the overlapping/underlapping in-behind, who can then reach the byline allowing Olise to move into the penalty area.
This flexibility and unpredictability has been almost unstoppable for opposition defenders this season.
Winger | Wide Midfielder:
Diaz, on the left side, does a lot of the same things with almost as much autonomy and unpredictability.
However, he tends to hold the width more consistently, as reflected by the difference in role.
Results
Bundesliga:
We tore up the Bundesliga in testing, winning the league with ease!
30 wins in 34 games, drawing three games, and losing the other game.
Additionally, we scored 129 league goals (3.79 goals per game) and conceded just 25 league goals (0.73 goals per game) – a league-best for each statistic.
Domestic Cups:
We began the season with the Supercup curtain-raiser; An emphatic 6-1 win vs VfB Stuttgart quickly set the tone for the wonderful season ahead!
Two trophies become three, as we secured the DFB-Pokal by beating Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0 in the Final.
Could a stunning quadruple be on the way to Bavaria…?!
UEFA Champions League:
Indeed it was!
A 2-4 comeback victory vs Real Madrid in the Final saw us lift the UEFA Champions League title, crowning a fabulous season where we won all four trophies available.
On our way to European success, we overcame Liverpool (2-3 AGG), Sporting CP (3-8 AGG), and Juventus (4-3 AGG), after successfully reaching the top 8 of the League Phase to bypass any added February fixtures.
Read Also
- FM26 Tactics Hub
- FM26 Best Youth Academies
- FM26 Wonderkids by PA, Price & Position
- FM26 Transfer Budgets
Conclusion
Vincent Kompany’s Bayern have probably, at least from an entertainment point of view, exceeded expectations thus far, and the result is one of, if not, the most exciting teams in all of Europe, and there’s absolutely no reason why they can’t dominate every competition much like PSG did in 24/25.
Shots, possession, field dominance, xG, duel-winning, counter-pressing, counter-attacking - they are experts in every field, and they could be on the verge of a historic season.
If you want a taste of this beautiful tactic, make sure to download the tactic using the link attached to this article and make sure to follow FM Blog (@fmbIog) and myself (@AshtonGgmu) on our respective socials.
I hope you have enjoyed this article, and I wish you much success with this tactic on your saves!
Thanks for reading!
