Bastian Schweinsteiger and Javi Martínez will provide all-round excellence in midfield for Bayern Munich against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final
Bastian Schweinsteiger will play a key role in midfield for Bayern Munich against Borussia Dortmund. Photograph: Joern Pollex/Getty Images
The key to Bayern Munich's success throughout 2012-13 has been their adaptability. On their way to a record points total in the Bundesliga, Bayern's ball retention was consistently remarkable, while in theChampions League victories over Arsenal, Juventus and Barcelona they have been equally impressive when using a physical approach designed to overpower the opposition.
The central midfield duo of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Javi Martínez has been pivotal in this approach. They are superb all-rounders – strong but technically proficient, capable of outfighting opponents as well as outpassing them. Jupp Heynckes is an astute tactician who varies his strategy according to the challenges of the opposition, without diluting Bayern's fundamental strengths.
Dortmund have used a 4-3-3 against Bayern this season and pressed in midfield - Javi Martínez and Bastian Schweinsteiger could choose to battle energetically, or a play a calmer passing game. Illustration: Graphic
Last summer's purchase of Martínez was something of a gamble. The Basque holding midfielder had won the World Cup and the European Championship as a backup player, but meeting Athletic Bilbao's €40m buyout clause was a significant leap of faith in a player who had no Champions League experience, and a player who had spent the majority of the previous campaign playing at centre-back.
Martinez didn't know a word of German when he arrived in Bavaria, but found assistance from Schweinsteiger, who spoke a little Spanish and translated Heynckes' instructions during pre-season training. Just as Schweinsteiger helped Martinez settle linguistically, he assisted him in his tactical responsibilities too. "He helped me in the initial stages an immense amount, in terms of positioning in the midfield," says Martinez. Last season Bayern were too easily exposed on the counterattack, and conceded goals from unnecessary errors deep in midfield – yet that problem has been absent since Martínez's arrival.
Martínez describes himself as "the most German of all Spanish footballers", and while he remains a reliable passer, his strength and mobility has been particularly useful throughout the knockout stages of the Champions League. Delving through Martínez's commentary on each round, and each opponent, makes for interesting reading. Following the win over Arsenal at the Emirates, Martínez was happy with the way he and Bayern "stopped Arsenal from applying their quick passing game".
After the victory over Juventus, he boasted of Bayern's "increasing physical edge" over the Italian champions, a feature that was even more obvious against Barcelona in the semi-final, when Martínez had warned that it was "important to press and not give them time to think".
Much like the Barcelona side of Bayern's future coach, Pep Guardiola, Heynckes encourages his players to close down intensely. But whereas Barcelona's pressing was about positioning and energy, Bayern are capable of sheer force. Martínez's performance in the 4-0 first leg victory over Barcelona was extraordinary – his first job was nullifying Andrés Iniesta but his sheer power also drove Bayern forward and overwhelmed the Barcelona midfielders. He often controls the central midfield zone in the frenetic opening stages, before Schweinsteiger takes command when the tempo drops in the second half – and the German is fully appreciative of Martínez's impact. "Every day, we see more clearly how important his signing has been," Schweinsteiger said.
Arsenal, Juventus and Barcelona are patient passing sides but familiar foes Dortmund are an entirely different beast – they are a high-tempo, mobile team who excel at transitions, bursting forward suddenly. Jürgen Klopp has reformatted his midfield in meetings against Bayern this season, seemingly a reaction to Bayern's midfield improvement. Rather than his default 4-2-3-1 system, he has played a more cautious 4-3-3 which uses an extra-deep midfielder. Klopp usually orders his players to press in the opening stages against Bayern, so expect to see Ilkay Gundogan – who offers a mixture of physicality and technique Bayern will admire – get into the faces of Martínez and, in particular, Schweinsteiger, in the first few minutes.
Bayern's approach will be fascinating: they have always dominated possession against Dortmund in recent years, but now they are capable of overrunning Klopp's side in a fast-paced battle, too.
Bayern will be admirably compact and disciplined when Dortmund have possession – forwards Mario Mandzukic and Thomas Müller drop back and contribute without the ball – but Bayern's primary defensive task is to stop Dortmund's counterattacks. As well as preventing them playing forward quickly, Bayern are also capable of denying Dortmund opportunities to break in the first place, by retaining possession for long periods.
Having concentrated on pressing and destroying in the semi-final victory over Barcelona, Martínez and Schweinsteiger will now concentrate on passing and creating. That flexibility makes them a truly outstanding pairing.
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