A left-back at number 10: Brown scores on his debut, Olise runs the game, and FC Bayern München win a Supercup that only got tight in the last 15 minutes.
The numbers
| FC Bayern München | Borussia Dortmund | |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 58% | 42% |
| xG | 2.37 | 1.65 |
| First-half shots | 8 | 0 |
| Red cards | 0 | 1 |
Result the chances deserved: FC Bayern München 54% / 20% / Borussia Dortmund 27% (Poisson).
Starting line-ups
FC Bayern München (4-2-3-1): Neuer, Laimer, Tah, Kim Min-jae, Stanišić, Kimmich, Pavlović, Olise, Brown, Luis Díaz, Kane.
Borussia Dortmund (3-4-2-1): Kobel, Gadou, Anton, Bensebaini, Svensson, Nmecha, Bellingham, Ryerson, Karetsas, Inácio, Guirassy.
Borussia Dortmund subs: Konstantelias (46', Inácio), Beier, Fábio Silva & Veerman (63', Karetsas, Guirassy & Nmecha), Sabitzer (73', Ryerson). Dortmund coach: Niko Kovač. In the first half Kovač swapped his wing-backs (left-footed Svensson on the right, right-footed Ryerson on the left) and switched them back at half-time.
Cards: Luis Díaz booked (45+1'). Bensebaini sent off for a late foul on Saibari: 90' according to Bundesliga.com and FOX Sports, 81'-82' according to FC Bayern and FotMob. Sub minutes are FC Bayern's; some outlets list slightly different times. Kim Min-jae started at left centre-back next to Tah, with Upamecano on the bench.
xG: FotMob 2.37–1.65; the Bundesliga's own xGoals model had 2.35–1.11 (1.73–0.15 at half-time).
Key moments, move by move
- Kimmich plays a long ball towards the right side of the Borussia Dortmund box.
- Olise takes it inside the area and lays it straight back.
- Brown, arriving from the number 10 position, drives it low into the near corner from about 15 metres.
- Jobe Bellingham loses the ball in midfield.
- Olise picks it up and accelerates down the right.
- He gets past Bensebaini's challenge.
- From a tight angle, about ten metres out, he beats Kobel at the far post.
- Tah gives the ball away in his own half.
- Konstantelias drives forward and finds Svensson, now back on the left.
- Svensson plays a low ball across the box.
- Fábio Silva shoots and the ball deflects off Davies past Neuer.
A full-back at number 10, and Olise on the right
- Brown as the number 10. With Musiala, Gnabry and Karl injured, Kompany played the summer signing from Eintracht Frankfurt, usually a left-back, behind Kane instead of starting Saibari. Kompany's reasoning: the spaces a modern full-back works in are often the same as a 10's (Goal.com). Brown was a runner rather than a passer, and scored by arriving late on Olise's lay-off.
- A one-sided first half. FC Bayern München had 64% of the ball and eight shots to Borussia Dortmund's none before the break by Bundesliga.com's count (FC Bayern counted 69% and 11 to 1). The Bundesliga's xGoals model had it 1.73 to 0.15 at half-time. The second goal came from pressure in midfield: Bellingham lost the ball and Olise punished it.
- Kovač's wing-back swap failed and was undone. Borussia Dortmund's 3-4-2-1 started with Svensson on the right and Ryerson on the left, so both could come inside onto their stronger foot. Kovač reversed it at half-time, brought on Konstantelias and then made a triple change on 63', and Dortmund had about 60% of the ball after the break (FC Bayern).
- The late wobble. Neuer had to make a strong save from Karetsas on 52'. Tah's giveaway led to Silva's goal on 75', and Beier put a close-range chance over the bar in stoppage time. Bayern Strikes blamed a sudden loss of concentration from the double pivot and the back line.
Recreate it in FM26
FC Bayern München · Kompany's 4-2-3-1 with a full-back at number 10 · 4-2-3-1Show cardHide card
Kompany's 4-2-3-1 with a full-back at number 10
| Pos | Player | In Possession | Out of Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Neuer | Ball-Playing Goalkeeper | Sweeper Keeper |
| RB | Laimer | Full-Back | Pressing Full-Back |
| RCB | Tah | Ball-Playing Centre-Back | Covering Centre-Back |
| LCB | Kim Min-jae | Ball-Playing Centre-Back | Stopping Centre-Back |
| LB | Stanišić | Full-Back | Holding Full-Back |
| RDM | Kimmich | Deep-Lying Playmaker | Screening Defensive Midfielder |
| LDM | Pavlović | Box-to-Box Playmaker | Pressing Defensive Midfielder |
| RW | Olise | Inside Winger | Inside Outlet Winger |
| AM | Brown | Attacking Midfielder | Attacking Midfielder |
| LW | Luis Díaz | Inside Forward | Tracking Winger |
| ST | Kane | Deep-Lying Forward | Centre Forward |
Team instructions
In Possession
- Passing DirectnessBalanced
- TempoHigher
- Progress ThroughRight
- Creative FreedomMore Expressive
Out of Possession
- Line of EngagementHigh Press
- Trigger PressMore Often
- TacklingAggressive
The idea: Olise creates from the right and the number 10 is a runner, not a passer: Brown scored by arriving late on Olise's lay-off. You need an AM with good Off the Ball and Anticipation rather than Vision, and a Deep-Lying Playmaker who can hit the long diagonal to the right winger.
What FM26 can't copy: FM26 can't reproduce the second-half drop in concentration or Kovač's wing-back swap, so expect a more even game than the 2–0 first half.
Our reading of this match in FM26 terms, not an exported tactic file. Role names as in FM26.
What if? Replay it with a different plan
Our best alternative plan: Bischof on at 63' (for Pavlović), Saibari on at 63' (for Brown). Keep the first-half plan and refresh the midfield when Kovač changed his: Bischof and Saibari on at 63' to keep the ball and slow Borussia Dortmund's surge. Not a different result, but a quieter last 15 minutes. It moves FC Bayern München's win chance from 54% to 59% (xG 2.37–1.65 becomes 2.42–1.45). Try your own changes to formation, pressing, approach and substitutions.
The game-changer FC Bayern München needed
Tom Bischof
FC Bayern München's problem was the second half, when Borussia Dortmund took about 60% of the ball and the double pivot lost its concentration. Bischof is the squad's most composed young passer under pressure. On for Pavlović around the hour, he would have helped Bayern keep the ball instead of defending a 2–0 lead.
Martín Zubimendi
FC Bayern München controlled the first half and then could not keep the ball once Borussia Dortmund pressed higher. Zubimendi is a calm single pivot who receives under pressure and positions himself to stop breaks before they start. That is exactly what was missing in the 15 minutes around Silva's goal.
What the analysts said
“It was a statement of energy, fighting for every ball, every situation.”Vincent Kompany (Bundesliga.com)
“The spaces of the full-backs are sometimes similar to those of a No. 10. He is unbelievably good between the spaces.”Vincent Kompany on Brown (via Goal.com)
“Personally, I didn't get into the game very well. The goal helped me a bit – and now I'm just delighted.”Nathaniel Brown (FC Bayern website)
“We had a few chances to put the game to bed. We didn't manage it, so it remained at 2-0.”Harry Kane (via FotMob)
“The second half was really good. We took more risks. We had more possession, were more dangerous, and were more aggressive.”Niko Kovač (via BVB Buzz)
The first half was the plan. The last 15 minutes were the warning.
What's happening. Bayern beat Dortmund 2–1 in the Supercup. Left-back Brown, playing at number 10, scored on his debut, and Olise ran the game. It only got tight in the last 15 minutes.
How it works. Brown at 10 worked because nobody asked him to create; Olise did that from the right, and Brown's job was to arrive late in the box. In the second half Dortmund pushed up with fresh attackers, Bayern's midfield pair stopped controlling the ball, and Bayern had only about 40% of it. A team built to press does not want to defend a lead deep.
What the shots say. There is no shot-by-shot data for this game. At half-time one model had Bayern far ahead on chances; almost all of Dortmund's threat came late, after their coach changed shape. The full-match totals look closer than the game was.