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Niko Kovač was quite happy playing the likes of James Rodriguez last season and Coutinho this season at #10 and in big games it just didn't work. Hansi moving Muller centrally instead of playing a creator at #10 has raised Bayern's intensity to another level.
Look at how Bayern looked completely out of depth against Liverpool last year. James played both the legs and that's the type of player Klopp's 4-3-3 works best on. Flick, even when he's brought Coutinho on has ensured he plays on the left. Central areas he wants that intensity.
Conventional #10's can work in some games, but in the real big matches when there is a physical battle and scramble for possession in midfield, they seem to be more of a luxury. And when teams play 4-3-3, it becomes much harder for them to find those pockets of space.
An example of this? Watch the 2-1 defeat we took to Chelsea this season. Ozil unplayable first 30 mins when they have a Kante-Kovacic pivot. Lampard then brings Jorginho on and now Chelsea have 3 in the middle. Ozil gets nullified because they've closed those pockets of space.
Ozil in his prime didn't always play #10 in big games, he moved outwide to the right on occasion. Even in Germany's 2014 WC win, Ozil played outwide. In his prime, Ö was world class wherever he played. Its sad to see #10's decline, some of the most beautiful players to watch.
