In a late season matchup between two of the top three Bundesliga teams, Bayern Munich lost 3-1 at Stuttgart. The defeat ended Bayern’s undefeated streak of six games. For Stuttgart, the result snapped a nine-game winless streak against Bayern, as well as 13 consecutive home losses to Bayern.
In reality, this was a throwaway game for Bayern and a building block for Stuttgart. Bayern leads Stuttgart by two points with two matches remaining, but both teams have already secured their Champions League slots for next season.
Stuttgart dominated possession in the first half and took the lead in the 29th minute on a goal from Leonidas Stergiou. Eight minutes later, Harry Kane converted a controversial penalty earned by Serge Gnabry. Former Bayern product Jeong Woo-Yeong scored the game winner with a near post header in the 83rd minute. Silas Katompa Mvumpa sealed the win with a cool finish in stoppage time.
How much of Bayern’s future was on display today?
Transfer rumors are a daily aspect of life at Bayern, but it doesn’t take an insider to realize major change is coming this summer. A number of key players only have a year remaining on their contracts, including Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller, Joshua Kimmich, Eric Dier, Leroy Sane, and Alphonso Davies.
But there were a few interesting pieces on the opposing side of the pitch:
- Alexander Nübel is the heir apparent at goalkeeper. He wasn’t tested much today but his demeanor reflects the experience he’s earned in the past three seasons on loan at Monaco and Stuttgart.
- Sebastian Hoeness signed an extension in March that will keep him at Stuttgart until 2027. But given his success and connections to Bayern, he will always be considered as a viable candidate for the head coaching gig.
- Serhou Guirassy is a bigger wildcard. The striker’s contract runs for another two years but includes a laughable release clause of £17.5M. After rejecting an extension in December and scoring 25 goals this season, Guirassy will be a priority target for top clubs across Europe.
Thomas Tuchel rested some players, but not nearly enough
Jamal Musiala and Matthijs de Ligt are nursing injuries and doing everything they can to recover and perform at a peak level in the upcoming second leg of the Champions League semifinal at Real Madrid.
Instead of benching other key contributors, Tuchel opted to provide playing time and the injury bug crashed the party. Raphaël Guerreiro laid out his entire body to block a shot and ended up limping off the pitch in the 17th minute. Eric Dier’s forehead was a magnet after he collided with Guirassy and then denied Guirassy in the 28th minute with a goal line clearance. Mathys Tel subbed off in the 72nd minute after an awkward twist of the ankle.
Hopefully these are slight knocks that can be cured with a few stitches and ice packs over the next four days.
Alphonso Davies has a major case of the “Yips”
On a day where Davies set the Bundesliga season record with a sprint at 36.41 km/h (22.62 mph), the Canadian’s struggles on the pitch continued. Davies lost possession on a third of his touches and was the lowest rated player on the pitch. The movement that created Stuttgart’s goal in the first half left Davies looking helpless. Woo-Yeong slipped behind Davies in the 83rd minute to score the game winner.
Playing time is crucial to rebuilding a young player’s confidence. Given the numerous injuries to Bayern’s wingers, along with the impressive form that Noussair Mazraoui has shown at left back over the past month, perhaps it would be wiser for Davies to spend the final two Bundesliga games playing as a left winger without the defensive responsibilities.
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