Three observations on how Bayern Munich dismantled Atlético Madrid

The coordinated denial of space

When Diego Simeone chose Atlético Madrid’s lineup and tactics for this match, he knew he had to prevent Bayern Munich from scoring. Objectives objectives objectives. That’s what it all comes down to. It’s not Manchester United. When you’re facing the best attack in Europe, and you’re not PSG, you have to think about ways to stop it.

To prevent a team like FC Bayern from scoring, you can do different things. You can press high and run hard, like Freiburg and Stuttgart did. It always ends badly. You can pack the box and hope for the best. Sometimes it works, ask Schalke. You can fight the midfield battle and try to win it, which could have worked for Arsenal. Or you take the cynical route, with invisible fouls and fifty-fifty duels, which Borussia Dortmund used to decent effect.

None of these represent a silver bullet. No team has yet beaten the Bavarians. Simeone therefore opted for the last possible option, the one easier said than done. He decided to deny Bayern Munich’s main stars the space to operate.

Understanding the complete tactical scheme would take too many words to describe. The Spaniards decided to focus their resources on the main threats, mainly FC Bayern’s front three. This meant diverting attention away from tertiary players like full-backs and centre-backs, which had its own tactical consequences. Here’s how it worked.

Alphonso Davies was marked next to a standoffish defender who kept pushing him on the shoulder. This prevented the Canadian from using his pace to get behind the defense, stifling the left. Meanwhile, Michael Olise, lacking explosive pace, was closely marked from the start, leaving almost no room for passing and dribbling. Harry Kane was isolated and prevented from getting easy shooting angles.

This focus came with the compromise that players like Konrad Laimer and Dayot Upamecano were given the freedom to dominate. Simeone bet that would be enough. He hopes that chances that go to players outside the Ballon d’Or top 10 will not be converted. Unfortunately, he was wrong. The fact is that there were too many opportunities and too much space to cover. We cannot refuse everything to Bayern Munich. And if you commit too much one way, you lose your threat on the other end. Simeone played and lost. The margins were against him.

Here’s why this all matters. This performance was the best one of the game’s best defensive tacticians could achieve. It still wasn’t enough to prevent Bayern Munich from winning comfortably. Despite injuries, despite the absence of a coach, despite having played the UEFA Champions League away.

What does that say about the team?

Bayern Munich could have scored much earlier, if only the team had more pace. It’s perhaps the slowest iteration of German Recorder in more than a decade.

Harry Kane is a demon, but he’s not fast. Michael Olise can run and dribble, but his approaches rely on positioning, not pace. The midfield had some excellent passers, but it lacks someone capable of carrying quickly. All of this results in a team that moves the ball too fast to keep up.

Despite the way he was marked, Alphonso Davies performed quite well against Atlético. The reason is that he has real pace, the kind that allows you to get past defenders. Konrad Laimer isn’t as fast, but still possesses excellent raw acceleration, which gave him the edge he needed to escape defenders focused on Olise. However, he can’t beat his opponents on his own, which is evident from the offensive streaks he wasted. Meanwhile, Dayot Upamecano is quick for a central defender, but he is rarely able to use his speed for offensive purposes.

This is where a player like Kingsley Coman or Leroy Sané, a Douglas Costa or Ivan Perišić could have come into play. These players had their limits, but they could move forward and give choice to players on the ball. Not ideal options, but options.

Vincent Kompany built a system that allows players to move the ball quickly up the field. However, we often see creators like Kane or Olise take the ball with no one to aim at. That’s the problem, the rhythm is not there to take advantage of it. Aside from Davies, this is a largely slow team. A problem that will have to be resolved, but we will have to wait until the winter window. Like so many other things.

The Bayern Munich we saw from October to November last season was the best Bayern have played in 2025/26. This is not the case with this Bayern. Despite the comfortable victory against Atléti, you know that there are still gears to go.

Luis Díaz is still injured, Jamal Musiala is unfit. Harry Kane and Michael Olise are saving energy and Alphonso Davies is not playing his best position. The team cannot run and press for 90 minutes. Each game transforms into a subtle balance of game management at death. Too many errors keep happening. Without Vincent Kompany, new tactics remain on the drawing board and automation is rusting.

Of course, this could be a blessing in disguise. Nothing good ever came from being the best team in the world…in October. All Bayern Munich has to do is the bare minimum. Survive the Hinrunde and regroup after winter break. Do like PSG.

If this team can come together at the right time, the potential is there to achieve incredible things. A possible Champions League, maybe even a treble. If things go well. If.

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