Is Pep's Weakness Defence after the Wolfsburg Blitzenmeister of Bayern?

Pep has been hailed as a coach that has revolutionized the sport of football. The tic-tac-toe system was tactic that no team had answer to and the domination was VERY unique for the sport. But Pep relied on pressing and winning the ball back quickly, to keep hold of that ball. Then one must ask, can we say Pep knows how to teach a team to defend properly? And was this flaw exposed again in a big way by De freakin Bruyyyyyyyyne and others??

They say Bayern were in a brothel on the winter break and Robben decided, for some reason, to take on a crocodile. Whatever the truth is, Bayern looked very lethargic and not sharp enough. Sure, in the first half they pretty much lived in Wolfburg's box, but that defence....it really harkened back to how Madrid lubricated them and just made their defence look like water.

Because that was pretty much how Wolfsburg beat Bayern. If you take away the incredible goal by Dost, De Bruyne was doing what Bale and Cristiano were in the second leg last year. Bayern just did not have enough defensive cover to balance out their high-attacking mentality that requires a lot of bodies very high up the pitch. The most attacking teams have to have a great defensive midfielder, which has been the most important position for Brazil before they embark to a World Cup.

At one point De Bruyyyyyyyyyne, was one-on-one with Dante. This was when the match was at 3-1 with enough time for Bayern to get back in the game. How on earth Pep would okay such a scenario happening is beyond my element of comprehension. All because you are chasing a game does not mean that you just say "Oh screw the defence, never liked 'em anyway."

This is something that I have noticed as a weakness for Pep, it's just that his teams that he has managed have been so talented, they can keep the ball and avoid having to do any real defending. Because between you and me, if Bayern DARE defend like this against Madrid, they will get sliced and diced and fed to the mice...thrice!

The real problem is that Pep does not have a backup to Javi Martinez, who was one of the main reasons Bayern won that treble.

Pep has put Bart Simpson in that hole, but it's just not the same as having a player who is naturally akin to that position. And without that role properly filled, because Alonso does not have the legs anymore, that leaves Bayern exposed to  a quick counter-attack. Because even last season, teams were always just one good pass away from really having a great chance. But the Bundesliga just is not the same quality as the Champions League as Bayern found out and were punished with a team who knew how to counter to deadly and quick precision.






Pep has always put his faith on the very high IQ of his defenders, especially Boateng who does not get the appreciation that he deserves. It's a trust that saw them escape through many matches unscathed. It's also the same trust that if he maintains, will still see Bayern comfortably defend their title. But Pep is going to be judged on that Champions League. That was really why he was brought in. Bayern are far too strong to even flirt with second place in the league, but amongst the elites it's a whole other game and unless he gets more protection for Boateng and Benatia, it could be another nasty ass day in the office....and don't think any lubrication will be brought to ease that pain.


HH