Bundesliga Round Up – Week 19: Let’s Talk Tactics

Editorial | Article posted on February 5th, 2025

Bundesliga Round Up – Week 19: Let's Talk Tactics
By Terry Duffelen on Feb 4, 2025 in Bundesliga, Latest | 0 comments

I'm aware that posts about tactics can be something of a turn off in these web pages but you may be interested to learn about the possible start of a rethink regarding formations in the German club football. As in most senior European leagues, Bundesliga coaches tend to use a five man midfield with a single striker up front. Sometimes that striker has been replaced with a false nine who is more like an attacking midfielder. Think Mario Götze at Bayern Munich.
However, both Stuttgart coach, Thomas Schneider and new Hannover 96 coach Tayfun Korkut have started playing with two strikers up front in a formation which looks closer to an orthodox 4-4-2. Of course and perhaps inevitably there is something of a twist on this formation as both teams press the opposition very hard when they don't have the ball so it's not quite the free flowing retro football of Tim Sherwood's Spurs which we all enjoy for various reasons but it is an interesting move by two young coaches who took their coaching badges together.
In Stuttgart's case the performances have been positive but the results fruitless. They nearly took a point of Bayern last Wednesday by taking a one goal lead only to succumb to a Claudio Pizarro equaliser and an injury time winner from Thiago Alcântara which is already a YouTube classic. Stuttgart's defeat was the second straight 2-1 loss in which they have taken the lead. On Saturday it happened again, this time against Bayer Leverkusen. Tough luck on Thomas Schneider whose alternative approach (I hesitate to say "new") deserves greater reward.
Hannover, on the other hand are going great guns with their two strikers, Artjoms Rudņevs and Mame Biram Diouf playing up front. After an impressive win last weeks against the hotly tipped Wolfsburg, they did a real number on fourth placed Borussia Mönchengladbach. The 96ers made a mockery of the game's possession stats with a classic counter attacking style. All the goals came in the second half. Rudņevs and Diouf put them 2-0 up, 'Gladbach substitute Peniel Mlapa got one back for the visitors only for Diouf to score his second of the day.
That result opened up the European spots, somewhat. Wolfsburg who lost again, this time to Schalke who's much maligned coach, Jens Keller keeps getting the results despite criticism of his tactics and frequent talk in the press that he will be replaced in the near future. 2-1 was the final score in that game and the Gelsenkirchen club move up to fourth.
At the top, Bayern continue on their sedate way after thrashing Eintracht Frankfurt 5-0. Bayern had struggled

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