"FC Bayern visit 1. FC Heidenheim on Sunday (17:30 CET) - and face opponents who have made notable progress lately. Following two heavy defeats, coach Frank Schmidt changed the formation to make his team more solid and compact. Since then, Heidenheim look more aggressive and clearer in their patterns again - and more awkward to play against. What that means for the upcoming encounter, what principles are behind Schmidt's approach and what the priorities are for the Munich men are revealed in the opposition profile."
"After the resounding defeats at Bayer 04 Leverkusen (6-0) and at home to Borussia Mönchengladbach (3-0), Schmidt reacted with a change of system, moving from a four-man to a five-man defence. The tricks seems to have worked. Goalkeeper Diant Ramaj has only picked the ball out of his net four times in the last three matches, because the players in front of him are achieving a better balance without the ball and performing more solidly overall. And it's produced results straight away."
"They may have suffered a painful setback with the 2-1 defeat at direct rivals FC St. Pauli last weekend, but the upward trend has significantly lifted the mood around the Voith-Arena. "The effectiveness of the last two matches was lacking today for us to get a point," said Schmidt after the match in Hamburg. The meeting with Union in particular highlighted the effectiveness that FCH have rediscovered in recent weeks: substitutes Stefan Schimmer and Jan Schöppner scored in the closing stages from 0.59 expected goals."
After heavy defeats, Frank Schmidt shifted from a four-man to a five-man defence to improve solidity and compactness. The new shape made Heidenheim more aggressive, clearer in their patterns and more difficult to play against. Goalkeeper Diant Ramaj conceded only four goals in the last three matches as the defensive balance improved. The system change produced immediate results: back-to-back 2-1 wins over Union Berlin and SC Freiburg yielded six points in the relegation battle. A 2-1 loss at FC St. Pauli was a setback, but the recent trend has lifted mood at the Voith-Arena.
Read at FC Bayern
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