1) Shut Down Wesley Sneijder
Of Inter’s eight goals in the knockout rounds, Sneijder has played a part in five. In the two group stage matches he missed with injury, Inter lost 2-0 to Barcelona and drew 1-1 with Rubin Kazan. Needless to say, Wesley Sneijder is Inter’s primary attacking threat. Mark him out of the game, and striker Diego Milito will be as lonely at the Bernabeu as he was at Camp Nou a month ago.
The responsibility of covering Sneijder will be shared between holding midfielders Mark van Bommel and Bastian Schweinsteiger, who will also have their hands full orchestrating the Bayern attack. The duo neutralised Juventus playmaker Diego, but the well-supported Sneijder is likely to prove a more difficult threat.2) Move Holger Badstuber To Central Defence; Start Diego Contento At Left-Back
Holger Badstuber may not be the most gifted defender in the world (one needs only to look back at his performance against Manchester United for proof), but Martin Demichelis and Daniel van Buyten are accidents waiting to happen. A natural central defender, Badstuber will offer much-needed consistency in the heart of defence, allowing Diego Contento to fill in at left-back. The 19-year-old fullback is rather slight in stature, but has an uncanny knack for winning the ball and is very skilled going forward.
To beat Inter, Bayern will have to use the element of surprise. That means utilising multiple players on both flanks in the attacking build-up. With that in mind, Contento - not Badstuber - is the man most capable of playing as Philipp Lahm’s left-sided counterpart.
3) Deploy Arjen Robben, Thomas Mueller & Ivica Olic As Free Attackers
With Franck Ribery suspended and Hamit Altintop his most probable deputy on the left flank, Bayern appear sure to attack through right-sided players Arjen Robben and Philipp Lahm. A similar strategy failed for Barcelona, and it is unlikely that Bayern will have more success should they use the same game plan. If Louis van Gaal allows his 4-4-2 formation to morph into a 4-3-3, Bayern may surprise the Inter defence enough to create some space. In such a setup, Altintop can shift into a central position, allowing Robben, Mueller and Olic to use their versatility and pop up in any position on the front line. Additionally, a 4-3-3 allows Robben to play higher up the pitch, increasing Bayern’s potential to counter-attack.
4) Concentrate
It may seem like ages ago that Bayern nearly threw away their Champions League hopes against Manchester United, but in reality, it hasn’t been all that long. In the first leg, Demichelis made two howlers within the first minute as United went a goal ahead. After that error, Badstuber and goalkeeper Hans-Joerg Butt committed even more shambolic errors as Bayern went 3-0 behind at Old Trafford. The Bavarians’ defence looked much more stable against Lyon, but then again, the French side applied very little pressure over the two legs. Inter, by contrast, will. All it takes is an instant of lost concentration and the game may be decided. Needless to say, Bayern cannot afford to make the same mistakes they made earlier in the tournament.
5) Teamgeist
The one reason Bayern have advanced to the final, which is by far their greatest asset, is teamgeist, or “team spirit.” Their passion, desire and utmost faith in coach Louis van Gaal makes the German champions an exceptionally difficult team to beat. Even after conceding first against Juventus, Fiorentina and Manchester United, Bayern remained composed, stuck to their game plan, and got the results they needed. If they fall behind Inter, Bayern will be faced with an even tougher task than before. But as the cliché goes, never count out the Germans.
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