Bayern Munich 5-1 Stuttgart: Takeaways from matchday one of Bundesliga
A pouring Friday night at the Allianz Arena means pouring goals for Vincent Kompany's Bayern Munich. Dayot Upamecano scored Bayern's first goal of the season with a header following Joshua Kimmich's corner.
Die Roten failed to get another on the board, with Luis Diaz and Michael Olise rueing missed chances.Stuttgart stunned the whole stadium early in the second half when Josha Vagnoman smashed in a half-volley after a scramble inside the box.
Not only did that goal not help Stuttgart regain momentum, but it also poked the bear inside Bayern Munich. A quickfire double salvo from Olise and Vagnoman's own goal, followed by Pavlovic and Diaz's late goals, completed a perfect night for the reigning Bundesliga champion.Let us look at three takeaways from a triumphant opening night in Munich.
Ismael Saibari is the perfect signing for Bayern Munich
There could not have been a better start for Saibari's career in Germany. Fresh off a Supercup title last week, he made his first Bundesliga appearance off the bench for Bayern.Immediate impact is the only phrase to describe the Moroccan's production, with two assists to Aleksandar Pavlovic and Luis Diaz to cap off the victory.
The Moroccan showcased his poise and composure to shake off a Stuttgart defender before laying it off to Pavlovic for the first assist.His second was an illustration of his vision and excellent weight of passes to find Diaz from a tight situation.
Saibari's link-up and hold-up play with his back to the goal were also phenomenal thanks to his build and physicality. His positioning and switch with Olise and Diaz also felt reasonable and smooth.That is what happens when you put high-IQ players to play close to each other.
While it is still early to judge the success of this deal, tactically, Ismael Saibari adds a new flavour to Bayern's diverse attack and further amplifies Kompany's fluid attacking football.
Alphonso Davies back in top form
It's been far too long since Alphonso Davies started the season for Bayern Munich, struggling with keeping fit and battling injuries. Back against Stuttgart, he showed glimpses of why he was the number one left-back in the world for so long.
The Canadian’s looking physically fit as he bombed up and down the pitch on the left flank.Davies' offensive positioning and space exploitation definitely improved a lot in his performance against Stuttgart.
One such smart positional play put Davies in a threatening position, which caused Vagnoman to clumsily put the ball in the back of his own net. The Canadian star must maintain this high level of play and stay injury-free throughout the season to help Bayern achieve bigger goals this year.
Luis Diaz's finishing worries fans
It is extremely difficult to find faults in such a dominant victory, but there is still room for improvement for Bayern Munich.
Luis Diaz missed an easy one-on-one early in the first half. He had a few more chances in the second, but it all ended in agony until the last kick of the game, when the Colombian finally capitalised from an easy situation.
Diaz is one of the most explosive wingers in the world with an eye for finding spaces in front of goal. He has put himself in prime scoring position countless times, but poor finishing and composure drag him back from the upper echelon of wingers.
What he brings to the table is volume. Because he gets to scoring position often, he eventually gets his goal or two. However, Bayern fans would love to see an improvement in his second year in Munich: if he converts a few more of his big chances, he has the ability and potential to break records.
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