Bayern Munich smashed hosts Atalanta 1 – 6 in the first leg of their clash in the Champions League. With one foot clearly in the quarterfinals, Bayern’s manager Vincent Kompany insisted on focus and the right approach for the return leg to securely seal the tie.
Not letting up despite a massive lead
The Bavarians created a plethora of chances as they ran wild in Bergamo. Despite scoring the highest goals with the biggest lead so far in the Ro16, Kompany reiterated the importance of the right approach for the second leg.
“There is still
the second leg to play, so we have to stay focused. The key tonight was finding the right approach to the game. Our man-to-man coverage was very important tactically and raising the pressing helped us a lot,” Kompany said highlighting the way in which Bayern dismantled Atalanta (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).
Familiar type of opponent
The Bundesliga is known for its high octane football. Fast, direct and an eagerness to outpress the opponent has become a familiar playstyle for some teams in Germany. This naturally has led to the Bundesliga turning into a talent developing ground in European football. Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen to name a few play a similar attacking style. High intensity attacking is preferred over reliance on lengthy periods of possession and keeping the ball away from the opponent or deploying low blocks for the majority of the time.
Drawing comparisons to the opponent’s play style, Vincent Kompany revealed why it wasn’t easy to catch Bayern off-guard. “It’s not the first time we face a team like Atalanta that likes to attack, so playing against this kind of football was not a surprise for us,” said Kompany.
