Bayern Munich did not look like world beaters in the first half against VfB Stuttgart, but that would change in the second half as the Bavarians were thoroughly dominant. Ultimately, Bayern Munich walked away with a 4-0 victory, so let’s talk about how that went down.
Here are some quick hitters on the match:
- As always, let’s take a look at Vincent Kompany’s starting XI:
- Dayot Upamecano got the nod despite his recent injury (as many thought). It was Thomas Müller, though, who took the No. 10 position and not Michael Olise or Leroy Sané. Olise did start at wing, though.
- Give VfB Stuttgart credit, it came to play and was not content to just park the bus.
- Gnabry had a golden opportunity to put Bayern Munich ahead early, but looped his shot wide of the net. It happens…but it feels like he could be entering one of his patented slumps. Deniz Undav almost capitalized seconds later on that miss, but also put his shot wide. Undav’s attempt was far more difficult of a chance.
- Aleksandar Pavlović took a nasty spill after getting low-bridged and had to leave the game early. João Palhinha came off of the bench, but it was a scary moment for the youngster.
- In the 11th minute, Kane slid a ball across the box, but Gnabry — inexplicably — failed to run into it for what could have been an easy goal. It was going to be that kind of game for Gnabry.
- This is truly not an anti-Gnabry rant, but his cross in the 26th minute left a lot to be desired. After making a terrific feint and run to free himself, he just did not hit the cross accurately enough to find Michael Olise.
- Sebastian Hoeness lived up to his claim that VfB Stuttgart would play an open style. VfB Stuttgart was noticed, confident, and was willing to go blow for blow with Bayern Munich.
- That did provide the Bavarians with quite a few chances. One of the best was a sequence on the break that went from Müller to Raphael Guerreiro to Kane, who just did not hit his header attempt good enough.
- Kane looks like he is losing his mind at times.
- Despite the zeroes on the scoreboard, it was not a terrible first half for Bayern Munich, just inefficient offensively and kind of boring. Bayern Munich’s backline held strong and limited the quality chances that Manuel Neuer would have to face. Still, Bayern Munich is not looking as powerful as it once did against lesser competition.
- In the 51st minute, Gnabry slid a nice ball into the box for Kane, who was a split-second away from tapping it in. There is a problem with chemistry at the moment within the attack.
- Josha Vagnoman should have given VfB Stuttgart the lead in the 55th minute, but hit his wide-open attempt over the crossbar. Bayern Munich was scrambling, unorganized, and almost paid for it.
- Fortunately for the Bavarians, Kane would escape from his slump with a long-range blast to put Bayern Munich up 1-0. Kimmich had the assist after some nifty play. Ultimately, though, that was probably a shot that Alexander Nübel should have stopped. It was great placement, but the goalkeeper’s reaction was a bit slow. Either way, Bayern Munich took a 1-0 lead in the 57th minute.
- Bayern Munich fans have to hope that the goal unlocks Kane. Just minutes later, Nübel made back-to-back saves on Kane and Palhinha. Kane, though, would not be deterred and just seconds after that scored in the 60th minute to make it 2-0.
- The initial pass on the play came into Müller from Gnabry. Müller had a cheeky, little back-heel pass to Kane, whose first attempt was blocked. Ultimately, the Englishman corralled in the ball and took another shot for the goal. It was a case study for concentration and execution.
- Kane added his third goal for a hat-trick in the 80th minute just by doing what he does best — operating in the box where he can take advantage of the chaos going on around him.
- It was dominant second half performance from the Bavarians.
- For good measure, Kingsley Coman added another goal to make it 4-0 in the 89th minute.
- Overall, Bayern Munich did what we all wanted them to do — put in a strong effort and win the match. While the first half was less-than-ideal, the second half more than made up for it. The team ended the game looking confident, aggressive, and creative. Heading into a Champions League match with FC Barcelona, the Bavarians will need all of those traits.
If you missed our Initial Analysis, Match Awards, Observations, or Postgame Podcast, give them a look or a listen:
Manchester City might be just as interested in Bayer Leverkusen ace Florian Wirtz as Bayern Munich.
Given how Bayer Leverkusen’s brass seems to have an issue with Bayern Munich these days, it would not be shocking to see Die Werkself try to direct their star player to City — for a bigger fee and the satisfaction of him going somewhere other than Bayern Munich:
Manchester City have concrete interest in Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz and could rival Bayern Munich for his signature, Florian Plettenberg reports.
Wirtz is Bayern’s “top target” for the summer of 2025, per the report, with the German club ready to spend big on securing the transfer. However, Man City’s pursuit could be boosted by Bayer Leverkusen’s preference to let him move to a foreign club rather than one of their Bundesliga rivals.
Should the 21-year-old decide to leave, Bayer want to make him their all-time record transfer out, surpassing Kai Havertz’s €80 million transfer to Chelsea in 2020.
While Real Madrid have also been linked with Wirtz, Plettenberg reports that Man City have made the strongest efforts of any foreign club to sign the Germany international.
Real Madrid is also said to be very interested in Wirtz. However, it feels like the player and his family want a move to Bavaria before ever thinking about a move abroad.
FC Barcelona has an idea of what it wants to do with some big pieces on its roster…now it is just a matter of getting all of these deals done:
Barcelona have prioritised the “strategic contract renewals” of Pedri, Gavi and Ronaldo Araujo, whose deals all expire in 2026, according to Mundo Deportivo. With the transfer window closed, Barça want to secure their young talent to long-term deals as soon as possible to avoid any drawn out sagas.
There is optimism with both Pedri and Gavi, with the report claiming the two midfielders are both likely to pen new terms with the Catalan club before the season ends. However, there is still uncertainty surrounding the future of Uruguayan defender Araujo, who is sidelined with an injury and not expected back until the end of the year.
Barça have not received a response from his agents to an offer they made over one month ago, but the club still want him to extend his deal because they consider him a key part of new coach Hansi Flick’s project.
Bayern Munich, as well as a host of English clubs, have previously shown an interest in Araujo, who Barça hope will communicate to his agents that his desire is to remain at the LaLiga side. Negotiations will be led by sporting director Deco and president Joan Laporta, with Barça prepared to offer all three players contracts until 2030.
Bayern Munich is back in action and — like always — there is a lot to talk about with the team.
The Bavarians have a big match with VfB Stuttgart, but there are a lot of high-level subjects that have rushed to the forefront of what fans are debating, so let’s get to it! This is what we have on tap for this week’s episode of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show:
- The connections between Bayern Munich and VfB Stuttgart are wild.
- Paul Wanner is looking more and more like a star. Does he have a role with Bayern Munich next season? Will he be blocked if the club extends Jamal Musiala and acquires Florian Wirtz?
- A listener Q&A segment.
- Alphonso Davies to…FC Barcelona?
- The Entertainment Rundown is back again…let’s briefly talk about The Penguin and Salem’s Lot.
Real Madrid is — allegedly — living with some regret after breaking the bank to bring in Kylian Mbappé:
Real Madrid have serious regrets about signing Kylian Mbappé this summer and have been left “gutted” by his performance levels. Club president Florentino Perez was the only person who wanted to sign the Frenchman.
Regret might be a little strong here. It feels like Mbappé and his teammates will find a way to figure out how to play together soon enough.
It is safe to say that Mainz 05 fans are not happy with Jürgen Klopp’s decision to join the Red Bull organization:
Real Madrid is gaining confidence in its ability to sign Liverpool right-back Rent Alexander-Arnold.
If even some of the rumored moves for next summer go through for Real Madrid, there could be a true juggernaut being developed in Spain:
As the season continues, Real Madrid are cautiously exploring their options in the transfer market, as part of the plans to reinforce the team next season.
The club have recently reached an agreement with top defensive target Alphonso Davies, who is reportedly ready to join Los Blancos at the end of the season.
Davies’ arrival could go a long way in reinforcing the ranks in the left-back position. But Real Madrid are equally keen on signing another top target in the form of Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The Liverpool star has emerged as a priority target in defence, as the club look to find a long-term replacement for Dani Carvajal.
A recent report from Mundo Deportivo has offered a fresh report on the future of Alexander-Arnold, suggesting that Real Madrid are indeed confident of signing the Englishman.
