Bayern vs Hertha BSC
Introduction: Pep Guardiola handed the reins over to Carlo Ancelotti over the summer as the former departed for Manchester City. Ancelotti will be hoping to add to his already incredible Champions League record as the one thing Guardiola failed to do at Bayern was secure Europe's top prize. There has already been a departure from Pep's principle's at Bayern which is evident early on, and yet Ancelotti has not made Bayern necessarily worse. Bayern went into the game against Hertha with the same amount of points, both sides had won all of their three first matches.
Bayern Build-up
A large change since Ancelotti has come in has been the change in the build-up phase. Under Pep, Alaba and Lahm would often operate more centrally, with the two wingers very wide and ready to receive the ball and take their opponents on 1v1. Ancelotti however has his fullbacks playing relatively wide, especially David Alaba who plays very high up the pitch and wide on the left. In build-up Alonso, the 6, drops to form a with Martinez and Boateng. This is then supplemented with Vidal who moves almost level with Alonso to aid in the build-up, and Lahm who will move closer to ensure they have numerical superiority.
Alaba and Attackers
David Alaba can be seen here in a very advanced position on the left wing. Ribery meanwhile comes inside more and operates in the left half-space while Müller exploits the space as he sees fit. He will sometimes move wider to receive the ball, or join Lewandowski up front as another striker alongside him. Ribery was not a constant fixture in Pep's side after his first season due to a combination of injuries and signings. In Pep's final season at Bayern he possessed Kingsley Coman and Douglas Costa, two extremely explosive wingers who are lethal in 1v1s. Ribery's pace can no longer match that of Costa or Coman and due to Pep's wing orientation he was dropped. Under Ancelotti, however, Ribery appears to be a firm fixture and he can be extremely dangerous occupying the left half-space. Ancelotti has tried to sign Ribery previously, having recommended him two Roman Abramovich, Chelsea's owner, back in 2008 after he was consulted about improving Chelsea's style of football. Upon Ancelotti's arrival at Chelsea in 2009 Ribery was targeted but the move never happened. Interestingly, the other name Ancelotti recommended to Abramovich in 2008 was Xabi Alonso, at that time still with Liverpool. In the end Ancelotti got his hands on Alonso when he joined Real Madrid before he was sold to Bayern. Now the pair are reunited.
Bye-Bye Juego De Posicion, Hello Freedom
When one watches a Pep Guardiola team, rigidity or structure are not words that would normally come to mind, and yet in possession, Guardiola has very strict guidelines about where every player must be positioned. In Guardiola's Positional Play, players have specific guidelines on where they must be positioned depending on the positioning of the ball, their teammates, and the opponent. Under Ancelotti it appears Bayern's players have a lot more freedom, this was particularly evident after Ancelotti had made his substitutions. Upon the arrival of Robben, Lahm moved in towards central midfield, operating freely with Thiago. The two established good connections with one another and were very dynamic in their movement. Vidal meanwhile was free to roam towards the right when he wanted to, sometimes finding himself in the right half-space. Arjen Robben came on and played out on the right wing but, as always, he would cut inside (and scored a goal like this). Kingsley Coman meanwhile had a great deal of freedom afforded to him as well as he sometimes flitted over to the right hand side or more central positions near Lewandowski.
Conclusion: Bayern beat Hertha BSC comfortably by a score of 3-0. Ancelotti's side have now won four out of four in the Bundesliga and have only conceded a single goal in the process. BVB look capable of giving them a decent enough challenge for the title, but the real test for Bayern will lie in the Champions League, where fans will be hoping Ancelotti's magic touch can bring the cup back to Munich again, four years after Heynckes won it.