Tactics Talk: Manchester United vs Bayern Munich

Manchester United (4-3-3): De Gea, Buttner, Ferdinand, Vidic, Rafael, Giggs, Carrick, Fellaini, Welbeck, Rooney, Valencia

Bayern Munich (4-5-1): Neuer, Rafinha, Martinez, Boateng, Alaba, Lahm, Schweinsteiger, Ribery, Robben, Kroos, Muller

Living in and around Manchester, I have seen first-hand the change in mood surrounding the Old Trafford club in the last six months. The fall from grace of one of the most successful clubs in the world has come as a shock to many, and as a City fan, not a moment too soon for me. But it speaks volumes that Manchester United came into this match having lost their last two games at Old Trafford by resounding 3-0 scorelines against two of their largest rivals, and were considered rank outsiders for this one. Just 12 months ago, United were leading Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid until Nani was debatably dismissed. Fast forward a year, and United fans saying 'if we don't get thumped I'm happy' epitomises the lack of belief in their aging and underperforming side.

With key men in Robin van Persie and Patrice Evra unavailable for selection, United had every right to be pessimistic. But in Wayne Rooney they have one of the form players in the Premier League, and he would need to be on the top of his game to keep United in it. By contrast, Bayern Munich had already sewn up the Bundesliga title with 7 games to go, and were looking to repeat the domestic and European quadruple that they achieved last season. Pep Guardiola's side have picked up where Jupp Heynckes left off, with many calling it 'improving on perfection'. As such, though they were without the suspended Dante, the side looked perfectly capable of breaking United down.

The opening exchanges saw, as expected, the German side retain a considerable amount of possession. In fact, by the time we reached half time, United had only managed to keep their feet on the ball for less than 30% of the time. With this inevitable, United would have to begin the game solidly in defence, whilst remaining open to the counter attack. This they did well, with Danny Welbeck a constant annoyance for Jerome Boateng. However, in Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery, Bayern have two of the best wingers ever to have graced the game, and it was down the wings that the German side were getting joy. With United seemingly camped on the edge of their area, it would take a moment of magic to catch them out.

And yet it didn't come. For all of Bayern's slick (dare I say it) 'tiki taka' football that Guardiola made so famous at Barcelona, Munich just could not break down a strong and committed United defence. Marshalled by stalwarts Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, the United back line looked considerably stronger than it has in many Premier League games this year. Guardiola's aversion to long range shooting also meant that the short stuff would continue, and United maintained their defensive solidarity, much to the annoyance of the Bayern coach.

Their strength at the back enabled United to press a little higher when defending, forcing a few errors from the usually reliable Bayern midfield. Manuel Neuer seemed similarly error-prone, with the touch happy goalkeeper having to slice the ball anxiously into touch as Welbeck and Rooney chased down the German.

First half hour: United's defending means they didn't deserve to be behind but Bayern's possession has been mesmerising. It seemed only a matter of time...

The game then began to open up. My initial reaction to this was 'this could get messy for United now', but it strangely favoured the English side. With the game stretched, they were able to maximise their effect on the counter, bringing them their first real chance, and the best chance of the game so far. A quick breakaway from a corner, coupled with a timely slip from Boateng left Welbeck in one-on-one with the onrushing Manuel Neuer. However, instead of smashing the ball beyond the keeper, the United striker inexplicably elected to attempt the dink over the head of the Bayern man. Safe to say it was easily caught, and the chance was gone. As was the half, but United had shown sufficient promise that fans knew they were not about to cave.

This was reaffirmed by Moyes' half time substitution. The elderly (and supposedly injured) Ryan Giggs was withdrawn in favour of the more attacking-minded Shinji Kagawa. With United looking more of a threat going forward, the game quickly became end to end, with the Germans once again dominating possession, but United having as many chances. However, that killer pass just wouldn't come, and for United, it was from set pieces where they looked most likely to damage Bayern. And do it proved. Abysmal marking from a corner left Nemanja Vidic free to expertly glance a header into the bottom corner to a thunderous reception around Old Trafford. The departing captain handing United a enormous leaving gift, and suggesting that a huge upset on the cards.

Second half hour: With Bayern now rattled and behind, United's defending looked ever more impressive - definitely a United period.

However, despite Bayern being on the back foot, they can always punish you. Just 8 minutes after going behind, a fluid move from the European champions left Bastian Schweinsteiger free to slam an excellent finish into the roof of David de Gea's net. With their advantage nullified, United once again reverted to type, knocking long balls up to Marouane Fellaini, and allowing Bayern onto them. But as with the whole game, their defence remained firm. Their defensive task did get more difficult when Alexander Buttner, in for the suspended Patrice Evra, had to leave the field having aggravated an injury. His replacement, Ashley Young, meant a real reshuffling of the back four, bringing Antonio Valencia, who was already on a yellow card and fortunate not to have been dismissed for a lunge on Phillip Lahm, back into right back.

As the game meandered towards its conclusion, with neither side really threatening, Bayern brought Mario Gotze, the highly rated German international on for the fairly ineffective Toni Kroos. As United searched for a winner on the break, Moyes turned to his instinctive finisher and (though he would not want the title) super-sub, Javier Hernandez. Neither really had any impact. The only remaining talking point came in the shape of a second yellow card for Schweinsteiger for a late challenge on the (slightly OTT) Wayne Rooney. Whilst this came in added time, and therefore carried no significance to this game, it could very much affect next week's. With both Javi Martinez (who picked up another booking to rule him out) and Schweinsteiger unavailable, Guardiola will have a slight headache at central midfield for the second leg.

Final half hour: Neither side did enough to win the game. Whilst Bayern's possession stats are incredible for the away side at Old Trafford, they did little to demonstrate why they are the European champions and how they have blown their league away this season. Draw a fair result.

David Moyes, for all his detractors (of which last weekend's banner illustrates there are fewer of than the media would have us believe), got his tactics spot on. He is an expert in defensive management, and this was evident against Munich. Though they head to the futuristic Allianz Arena still as rank outsiders, another performance like that may just see them pull off the impossible.

German Grand Prix 2013: Home Hero at the Nurburgring

                       The German Grand Prix represented the chance for many unlikely 'firsts' for several teams and drivers, as the 2013 Formula 1 season moved into its ninth race. For pole-sitters, and eventual winners of the last Grand Prix, Mercedes could claim their first home Grand Prix win since their re-introduction into the sport, somthing that the Silver Arrows craved. Similarly, both Nico Rosberg and, more surprisingly, world champion Sebastian Vettel were also looking for their inaugural victory on home soil. Of the rest of the field, the most surprising name to never win the historic race was Kimi Raikkonen. The championship contender had come within a lap of taking victory at the Nurburgring in the European Grand Prix of 2005, and had to retire from the lead of the German Grand Prix of the same year (held at Hockenheim), but had never managed to take the top step. All of these storylines led to an intriguing battle in both qualifying, and the race.

                         Before any racing had even begun, there was the very real possibility that there would be no racing at the circuit this last weekend. After the serious problems with the Pirelli tyres supplied at the British Grand Prix, many of the drivers stated that they would boycott the event should the problems resurface. Certainly an eventuality none in the world of F1 wanted, but an understandable conclusion, given the danger of the race at Silverstone. This meant that even more scrutiny was placed upon the tyres supplied, with Pirelli workers toiling day and night in an attempt to ensure the security of their products. As it was, there were no significant incidents in either free practice, or the qualifying. This meant that, thankfully, the race could continue undiminished.

                          A more positive note accompanying the Grand Prix was the Williams' milestone of 600 Grand Prix. Whilst the team have been noticeably struggling this year, failing to accrue any points from the opening 8 races, I remember many glories in my Formula 1 watching. Whilst I have not been alive long enough to see any of their world championship winning cars, there have been many memorable moments. One that springs instantly to mind are the many confrontations between Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya between 2001 and 2004. With the up-and-coming Montoya threatening to outdo his more illustrious teammate, a long-running spat developed between the two drivers. Whilst they did come to a 'working relationship', there were more than enough arguments, and more than a few collisions between the pair, that indicated there was no love lost. Another more recent moment is last year's incredible maiden victory for Pastor Maldonado at the Spanish Grand Prix. After a fortuitous pole, the Venezuelan held off the challenge from his competitors, particularly Fernando Alonso, to claim the most unlikely of victories for Sir Frank Williams and the team. A genuine giant of Formula 1, it will be a very sad day if the name Williams disappears from the sport. So here's hoping for many more memorable moments!

                           Back to the action of last weekend, the German Grand Prix qualifying took place in sweltering heats, with the threat of rain a distant memory. This allowed us to see the true pace of each of the cars, putting  Red Bull at a distinct advantage in the earlier practice sessions. Whilst Williams were celebrating their 600th Grand Prix, a double elimination in Q1 will have done little to increase the party atmosphere in their section of the paddock. Other than the Williams, the back of the field was filled with the usual suspects, the Marussias and Caterhams. Going into Q2, the from 4th to 14th were covered by just 0.7 seconds, promising an unpredictable and entertaining session. Whilst both the Red Bulls and the Mercedes had managed to make it into Q2 using just the harder tyres, the rest of the pack were not guaranteed such an easy ride. The big shock of Q2 involved the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg. Despite being tipped to contest the pole position, the German side failed to accurately anticipate the cut-off time, dropping Rosberg into 11th, and out of the session. The main losers of the second session were Force India, who after a couple of promising qualifying sessions, failed to get either of their drivers into the top 10, finished 12th and 15th. The main beneficiaries were McLaren, getting Button into the top 10, and Toro Rosso, with Daniel Ricciardo continuing to stake his claim to take over from Mark Webber at the parent team at the end of the year. Into the final session, the consensus around the paddock was for a Vettel pole, if not a front row lock-out for the Red Bulls. However, Lewis Hamilton threatened to derail the charge when he popped his Mercedes in front of the Red Bulls after the first round of lap times. Vettel responded, going to the top of the leaderboard as the chequered flag dropped. But Hamilton was still on a lap, and the Mercedes driver shocked everyone to beat Vettel by nearly 2 tenths.

                            After their success at Silverstone, everyone expected the Mercedes to be competitive in the race. And starting on pole at a circuit where they appeared to be on the back foot looked ominous for the rest of the grid. However, their dreams of controlling the race from the front went up in smoke as Hamilton was overtaken by both of the Red Bulls by the end of the first corner. Ferrari's low-key afternoon continued, with Felipe Massa spinning out of the race after just 4 laps. It is unclear whether it was a mechanical failure or a simple driver error, but it capped a fairly poor weekend for the Brazilian. Unfortunately, the main two talking points of the race were not for racing incidents. The first, and most serious, happened at the first round of pit stops. Mark Webber entered the pits on lap 9, for a routine stop as the soft tyres began to 'go off'. Due to the desire for a quick stop, sometimes the tyres are not quite fastened on correctly, as either human or mechanical error does sometimes occur. Usually, these errors are spotted and the driver is stopped as he leaves the pitlane. Unfortunately, in this case, Webber's tyre was so unsecurely fastened that it flew off as he left his box, causing mechanics to scamper out of the way and catching a FOA cameraman square in the chest. This comes as a stark reminder that F1 is a dangerous sport for more than just the driver. I wish the cameraman a speedy recovery, and I hope to see less incidents like this in the future.

                             Despite the incident, Webber was able to continue, albeit at the back of the field. After a few laps in which Lewis Hamilton fell back behind Raikkonen and struggled to keep Alonso at bay, the second talking point occurred. A routine engine failure on lap 25 turned into a nightmare, as Marussia's Bianchi pulled off to the side of the track. After a few flames and a lot of smoke, the drama had seemingly ended. That was until the car began rolling backwards across the track! At least there was no oncoming traffic to collide with the out of control Marussia, which would have made the situation far more serious. The safety car was deployed to deal with the incident, and when the race restarted, the two Lotuses began heavily pressurising the leader Vettel. When Grosjean pulled in for his second and final stop a few laps later, Red Bull's response was instant. They pulled Vettel in the next lap, ensuring that he rejoined in front of the Lotus. All eyes then turned to Kimi Raikkonen, who remained on track, worrying the Red Bull garage that he planned to one-stop. As each lap passed, the mood became ever more tense. Unfortunately for the Lotus team, 50 laps is all Raikkonen could manage on the tyres. However, his change to the soft tyres promised a nervous last 10 laps, as Kimi could now go a full second faster than his teammate and Vettel in front. Alonso too took that gamble, hoping to chase down the Lotuses for the podium.

                                The change in speed was instant. Both Raikkonen and Alonso began reeling in the front two very quickly, with Grosjean eventually moving out of his teammate's way to allow Kimi to chase down the race leader. Further down the field, Williams's 600th Grand Prix ended in disappointment, as an epically slow stop prevented Pastor Maldonado from claiming their first points of the season. An incredibly poor season so far from the veteran team, who need to improve in the second half if they are to challenge for the top 10. As we moved into the final lap, we were promised a showdown, with both the race win and the final podium spot up for grabs. It seemed it was destined to come down to the final DRS zones of the race. However, in both cases, they ran out of time. This meant that Sebastian Vettel took his first victory on home soil, and the 30th win of his career. Raikkonen maintained his incredible scoring run, and Grosjean took an encouraging podium, hoping to kickstart his Formula 1 career after a difficult first season. Alonso had to settle for 4th, pushing him even further behind the overall championship lead. After a promising qualifying, Hamilton and Mercedes faded, finishing 5th after a brief resurgence to overtake Jenson Button on the last lap. But the day belonged to hometown hero Vettel, who now takes an increasingly healthy lead into the second half of the season, knowing that the title is now his to lose.