Bayern camp in the final third

Style is hard to pin down in one number, but some numbers come close. Bayern's field tilt is 82.1% against a league average of 50.0%, and the next side, Hoffenheim, is 62.7%. When either side has the ball in a final third, it is usually Bayern in their opponents' half.

The league picture

Field tilt is a team's share of the final-third passes in its games: half is an even split, and the higher it is, the more of the game is played in the opponent's end. It matters because that is where chances come from, and a side that keeps the ball up there spends less time defending its own box. Bayern sit in the "keep the ball · camp in their third" corner, with Dortmund, Freiburg, Hoffenheim and others.

How they do it

Bayern have lined up in a 4-2-3-1 in 7 of their 7 Bundesliga games; this is the eleven that has started there most, with each player's average match rating.

Their pass network from the 3-1 win at Freiburg on Sunday shows where each player took the ball and who found whom. The busiest link was Bischof to Tah.

The players who drive it, and the number that matters for this story:

The trend

Over 5 games at a time, Bayern's field tilt is 82.9% now, down from 84.4% after their first 5; the high was 87.1% (MD 6 v Leipzig). Hoffenheim, the line to compare with, are on 60.6%; the league average is 50.0%. Over 7 games this is a trend worth watching rather than a verdict.

What to watch

Next for Bayern: at home to Dortmund on Saturday (the match page). On field tilt, Dortmund are on 60.5% against Bayern's 82.1%: the two are on the same side of the league average, so the game turns on who does it better.