FC Bayern win their away game at VfB Stuttgart by a clear margin. FCBinside provides three insights into the match.
Bayern literally took VfB apart in a 5-0 win in Stuttgart and the game provided the following insights:
1. Difference in class despite XXL rotation
Kompany made six changes to the starting eleven compared to the win in the cup round of 16 at Union Berlin. Harry Kane, Manuel Neuer, Jonathan Tah, Serge Gnabry, Aleksandar Pavlovic and Lennart Karl were initially on the bench, with Jonas Urbig, Minjae Kim, Leon Goretzka, Tom Bischof, Raphael Guerreiro and Nicolas Jackson moving into the starting eleven.
From Bayern’s point of view, it could have been feared that so many changes to the starting line-up could cause problems – especially against a club with Champions League ambitions like VfB Stuttgart. But even the rotated Bayern were superior to the Swabians.
When coach Vincent Kompany brought on Kane, Pavlovic and Karl after an hour, the difference in class to VfB became apparent, most clearly in the person of Kane, who quickly bagged a hat-trick. The Englishman’s display was truly world-class, starting with his precise 128 km/h shot into the corner to make it 2-0 to the Munich side.
The way the Swabians went down against the German record champions shows a lot about the current state of the Bundesliga. Bayern are once again unrivaled here.
Afterwards, the Stuttgart professionals had no choice but to ruthlessly admit their inferiority. Ex-Bayern player Angelo Stiller said: „We set our sights high and then to play such a bottomless half … you have to work through that. We were always one step too late. Bayern are too good for that.“
Striker Deniz Undav analysed: „That was a difference in class. We didn’t execute the plan we had. We gave them too much space. Olise, Kane, Diaz, Kimmich – they have brutal players. They wrecked us! It’s sad, but we have to learn from that.“
2. Urbig wins successor duel against Nübel
Kompany’s rotation also made for a particularly interesting duel: Jonas Urbig against Alexander Nübel. The Bayern coach surprisingly decided to give Manuel Neuer a break in the southern clash and thus rely on his young substitute. Urbig is seen as a possible long-term successor to Neuer when he hangs up his goalkeeping gloves at some point. But Nübel is also still in the running, after all, the now 29-year-old still has a contract with Bayern until 2029.
In Stuttgart, the two could be seen in a direct duel – and Urbig clearly won this one. First, the 22-year-old initiated the 1-0 through Konrad Laimer with a long but precise pass forward. With the ball at his feet, Urbig was always cool and played well with his defensive colleagues several times out of the back. Then the youngster also showed a strong save when he spectacularly deflected a dangerously deflected shot from Undav over the crossbar with his fingertips.
Nübel, on the other hand, had to reach behind him five times. He let a not-so-hard and not-so-precise shot from Josip Stanisic slip through his fingers for the 0:3 goal from Stuttgart’s point of view. He had already made a similar mistake earlier with a shot from Michael Olise, but it still rolled next to the post. None of that looked good – Urbig, on the other hand, played one hundred per cent safely.
Urbig already knows that he is the chosen successor to Neuer himself. The Bayern captain recently made that clear once again in public. He also appears to be the favourite of sporting director Max Eberl. He is probably also ahead with the fans. Nübel was unable to show anything in the direct duel with Urbig that could convince anyone at the club otherwise.
3. This Bayern star has developed like no other
Although Harry Kane provided the story of the game with his thunderbolt hat-trick, the best goal of the match was Konrad Laimer’s 1-0 for FCB. The Austrian has often been asked how he accepts his role as a right-back, given that he actually came to Munich from Leipzig as a central midfielder.
But the truth is: even though Laimer plays on the right side of defence on paper, he can always be found in midfield in the game – sometimes on the 6, then even on the 10 and then, as with the 1-0, even as a center forward. If someone who doesn’t follow FC Bayern otherwise and doesn’t know Laimer had only seen this goal, they might have thought: this is a nine-man scoring, a real striker.
Laimer took Urbig’s long pass, played a quick one-two with Michael Olise and coolly slotted the ball home with his heel. This dream goal was a perfect example of how no Bayern star has developed as much as Konrad Laimer in his time under Kompany.
The 28-year-old is a regular, can be deployed in practically any position and in any role to Kompany’s liking and is always reliable. His commitment is always impeccable anyway, but people tend to forget that Laimer is also a really fine footballer. His back-heel goal in Stuttgart will always serve as proof of this – in the highlight compilations of the coming years.
Laimer’s contract expires in the summer of 2027. Bayern naturally want to keep him, and he would probably also like to continue playing in Munich. However, Laimer’s recent performances have caused his market value to rise significantly. It is now reported that the Laimer side would like a significant pay rise – befitting a regular player. In view of Laimer’s spectacular development under Kompany, there are few arguments against this.