A 1-1 draw should seem like a bad result for the home team in a Champions League first leg, but this season has seen last season’s English and German champions enjoy contrasting fortunes. Manchester United’s approach to the game looked more like a team that intended to stay in the game, while Bayern Munich actually wanted to wrap things up in the first leg.
David Moyes picked Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic for a game that perfectly suited their current strengths; they had to sit in front of David De Gea and organise the players ahead of them.
Michael Carrick started just in front of the back four while Ryan Giggs and Marouane Fellaini were just ahead of him. This ragged wall of seven outfield players was essential to protect the 30-yard zone immediately ahead of De Gea.
The front three of Danny Welbeck, Wayne Rooney and Antonio Valencia were there to run-in behind the Bayern Munich’s high line of defence on the break.
Pep Guardiola changed just a few things from his usual Bayern team with respect to Manchester United’s strengths and weaknesses. He probably assumed that Moyes would start with a centre back pairing of Vidic and Phil Jones. When they are paired, they – and particularly Jones – usually struggle to keep an eye on mobile forwards. That is probably why he went with Thomas Muller ahead of Mario Mandzukic. Muller also came with a side benefit of extra help on ball retention.
Manchester United were quick out of the blocks in search of something that they could hold on to and they were probably unlucky with the disallowed goal for Welbeck.
From the 10th minute on, Bayern Munich started to work the ball well. They gradually gained territorial advantage and pushed Manchester United’s back seven slightly past their comfortable 30-yard zone.
They also made progress down the flanks with Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery interchanging and combining well. The wingers took advantage of overlapping full-backs and cutting inside rather than take on United’s full-backs.
While United defended well, they struggled to keep the ball when they won it back, particularly Fellaini who lost the ball cheaply on three occasions in midfield.
This caused Bayern Munich to spend more time on the ball and push United back. But the Bavarians couldn’t make the progress they had out wide work for them because their final ball was largely not attacked.
The hosts had dangerous moments with Danny Welbeck running-in behind Jerome Boateng and Javi Martinez.
In the second half, Manchester United added Shinji Kagawa in place of Giggs and they moved the ball better. They changed to a 4-4-2, with Kagawa slotting in on the left side of midfield while Rooney and Welbeck pressed defenders up front.
United’s back-four bravely squeezed their defensive line up the pitch and the midfielders pressed the ball higher.
Guardiola responded by introducing Mandzukic to provide a better target up front, provide more knockdowns and take up dangerous positions to anticipate service from wide areas. Both moves came in successions and they rewarded each team with a goal.
In the end Manchester United had to make another tactical change to see the game out because Alexander Buttner picked up an injury. Jones had to switch to left back, Valencia dropped to right back and Ashley Young took Valencia’s right wing position.
Bayern could not capitalise on that and the first game ended 1-1.
