Adi Hütter on beating Bayern Munich

In the third and final season of his successful spell at Eintracht Frankfurt, the two-time German coach of the year Adi Hütter came agonisingly close to leading the club into the Champions League for the first time since they were beaten finalists in the 1960 European Cup.

The team would ultimately finish fifth in the 2020/21 Bundesliga, one point behind VfL Wolfsburg, but during an 11-game unbeaten spell between December and February Eintracht were arguably the best team in German football. That was perhaps best summed up by the last game in that run – a 2-1 home win against the then European champions, Bayern Munich.

In this exclusive Masterclass with the Coaches’ Voice, Hütter – a league-winning coach with Red Bull Salzburg in his native Austria and Young Boys in Switzerland – describes the tactical approach that helped his team into a 2-0 half-time lead Bayern were unable to overcome.

Disrupting the Bayern build

He explains how he wanted his team to press high and put the usually dominant Bayern build-up under pressure – not just to prevent their dangerous front three from getting the ball, but also to ensure Eintracht gained possession as close to the Bayern goal as possible. In possession, he reveals why he liked to play with two number 10s behind a single striker, and why his two wing-backs on the day played very different roles to maximise their respective qualities.

It’s a fascinating Masterclass from an experienced and successful European coach who has been linked with a move to English football.

Starting line-ups

Eintracht FrankfurtBayern Munich

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Eintracht Frankfurt3-4-2-1

Bayern Munich4-2-3-1

1Kevin Trapp

1Manuel Neuer

2Evan Ndicka

4Niklas Süle

13Martin Hinteregger

17Jérôme Boateng

35Tuta

27David Alaba

10Filip Kostic

19Alphonso Davies

17Sebastian Rode

6Joshua Kimmich

20Makoto Hasebe

22Marc Roca

18Almamy Touré

10Leroy Sané

32Amin Younes

13Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting

15Daichi Kamada

29Kingsley Coman

9Luka Jovic

9Robert Lewandowski

Author: Tony Hodson