The emphatic 5-1 scoreline only partly reflects how competitive the game was for much of the evening. Stuttgart approached the match with courage and caused the favourites problems, particularly in the opening stages. In the end, however, Bayern were good value for such a convincing victory. They created considerably more chances, got into the Stuttgart penalty area far more frequently and held a clear 4.06-0.79 advantage in expected goals.
Bayern initially struggle with Stuttgart’s man-marking
Sebastian Hoeness set Stuttgart up in a 3-4-2-1 formation and opted for pronounced man-oriented pressing out of possession. That was particularly evident with Harry Kane. The Bayern striker repeatedly dropped deep into midfield and at times even into his own half, often with Jeff Chabot following him.
The approach worked well for Stuttgart early on. They disrupted Bayern’s build-up, forced their opponents into frequent positional changes and created the first major opportunity themselves. Tiago Tomás struck the crossbar in the opening stages before Michael Olise hit the woodwork at the other end with a free-kick.
As the game progressed, however, Bayern became increasingly effective at exploiting Stuttgart’s individual assignments. Kane’s movement repeatedly dragged Chabot out of the back line and opened spaces for Olise and Díaz to attack. Nathaniel Brown started in the number ten role behind Kane, while Olise and Luis Díaz regularly moved inside from the flanks.
The breakthrough eventually came from a set-piece. Joshua Kimmich delivered a corner in the 21st minute and Dayot Upamecano rose to head Bayern into a 1-0 lead. From then on, the hosts increasingly took control. Stuttgart goalkeeper Fabian Bredlow prevented a bigger half-time deficit with saves from Díaz, Brown, Konrad Laimer and Olise and finished the match with five stops.
A few minutes decide the contest
Stuttgart responded after the break. Following a Bayern turnover, Chabot got his head to the ball and Manuel Neuer produced a strong save, but the Bayern captain was powerless when Josha Vagnoman converted the follow-up in the 52nd minute.
The visitors had little time to enjoy the equaliser. Just three minutes later, Kimmich played a precise pass into the penalty area, Olise escaped the Stuttgart defence and calmly finished to make it 2-1. Another setback followed shortly afterwards. Alphonso Davies broke through down the left and fired a low ball across goal, with Vagnoman slipping as he attempted to clear and turning it into his own net.
Within the space of a few minutes, Bayern had transformed Stuttgart’s equaliser into a comfortable 3-1 lead. That spell effectively settled the match. Stuttgart were forced to push further forward, leaving Bayern with more room to attack on the break. Olise later found the net again with an excellent finish, only for the goal to be ruled out for a very tight offside.
Two assists each for Kimmich and Saibari
Kimmich was one of Bayern’s standout performers. The midfielder set up both Upamecano’s opener and Olise’s goal for 2-1. Once Bayern had adjusted to Stuttgart’s aggressive man-marking, he increasingly dictated the tempo of the contest.
Olise was another constant threat. The Frenchman struck the woodwork and scored the crucial 2-1 shortly after Stuttgart had drawn level.
Ismael Saibari also enjoyed an excellent Bundesliga debut. The new signing replaced Brown after 61 minutes and assisted Bayern’s final two goals. In the 82nd minute he got the better of Finn Jeltsch inside the penalty area and squared for Aleksandar Pavlović, who converted from close range to make it 4-1. In stoppage time, Saibari then released Luis Díaz, who kept his composure against Bredlow and completed the scoring.
It was also notable that Bayern managed five goals despite Kane finishing without either a goal or an assist. The England international nevertheless played a significant tactical role. His repeated movement into deeper areas forced Chabot to leave Stuttgart’s defensive line and created space for his team-mates.
Kompany refuses to get carried away
Bayern have therefore made an emphatic statement on the opening weekend. The record champions scored 122 Bundesliga goals last season and have now begun their title defence with another five-goal display. They also extended their unbeaten run on the opening matchday of a Bundesliga season to 15 games.
Vincent Kompany nevertheless refused to draw major conclusions from the result. “It’s only one game, it’s only three points,” the Bayern coach said afterwards. For him, the decisive factors were his team’s energy, work rate and repeated runs in behind. Stuttgart had caused Bayern serious problems early on, but his side remained composed and gradually created better opportunities.
Manuel Neuer also spoke positively about the opening-night performance. It was a special evening for the 40-year-old, who made his 600th competitive appearance for Bayern. “To start the season like this is a dream,” said the captain.
There was considerably more frustration in the Stuttgart camp. Hoeness felt his team had produced some good periods but was particularly disappointed by the decisive spell immediately after the equaliser. At 1-1, the game had appeared wide open again, only for Bayern to put it beyond reach moments later. “That’s tough, that’s difficult,” the Stuttgart coach admitted.
Dortmund and Leverkusen look to respond
Bayern’s emphatic opening victory has underlined their ambitions from the very first matchday. Bayer Leverkusen begin their campaign away to Bundesliga newcomers SV Elversberg on Saturday afternoon, while RB Leipzig host Borussia Mönchengladbach and Eintracht Frankfurt travel to Union Berlin. Cologne also face Hoffenheim, with Mainz taking on promoted Paderborn.
Borussia Dortmund then take centre stage on Saturday evening. BVB host Hamburger SV and will be looking to make an early statement of their own. Sunday’s fixtures include Freiburg against Werder Bremen and Augsburg against Bundesliga returnees Schalke 04.
Bayern are back in action as early as Wednesday, when Kompany’s side travel to VfL Osnabrück in the first round of the DFB-Pokal. Their next Bundesliga assignment follows on Saturday with an away game at Schalke 04.
