What has changed at Bayern since Ancelotti replaced Guardiola?
To keep it simple: everything. I’ve been following Bayern in detail over a number of years and it’s a completely different style of football now. There’s much less creativity, intensity and structure; the quality of passing and positioning has reduced dramatically. Many supporters are confused that Ancelotti has changed so much in a relatively short period of time.
Pep is obviously known for his precise instructions regarding what kind of action each player is expected to do at each moment. It seems that it’s not important for Ancelotti how Bayern play, only that they win – no matter whether it’s attractive. Especially in 2017, it’s certainly not. But Ancelotti is considered to be a coach for the second half of the season. He’s quite relaxed so it’s fair to say he presumably has a plan. Arsenal will be the first match to really prove him right or wrong in his approach."
How do you think they will line up? Any tactical surprises?
I don’t expect a revolution. Ancelotti speaks more about “mentality, personality, character” than the line-up. In Ingolstadt on Saturday he chose a 4-3-2-1-system without a real player on the wing. It wasn’t very entertaining. Now it’s mainly about Douglas Costa or Thomas Muller because Ribery is still injured. Muller is not really suitable as a left winger, which makes me think that Costa will start, with Thiago being a number 10 again. The Spaniard made his comeback last week and is arguably Bayern’s key player.
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