Four observations from Bayern Munich’s 0-5 victory over VfB Stuttgart in the Süd derby

The Bundesliga is winding down toward the winter break; Bayern Munich are set to go in as leaders as they so often have. Here are some observations from their victory over fellow southerners, VfB Stuttgart:

Stuttgart found the gaps but not the goals

Sasa Kalajdzic is a hard man to replace and it showed; Bayern’s defense wasn’t the best with mistakes from various players leaving gaps at the back but Stuttgart could not take advantage of the chances they created. Omar Marmoush is not quite the same striker that Kalajdzic is. It may have come down to team selection as well; perhaps playing Silas Wamangituka, who is a winger, as the front man might have worked better.

Niklas Süle and Serge Gnabry’s contracts need to be extended

One game doesn’t prove much; that being said, I have always thought Serge Gnabry’s talent level is higher than he is given credit for. The weight on his passes, the power behind his shots, the beauty of his assists — Gnabry has it all. Bayern knows this — after all, Bayern figured this out before anyone else did when he left Arsenal — and he shows it when he is on the pitch.

As for Süle, I know Schnitzel will disagree but I do feel Süle is Bayern’s best defender and I have felt that way for a while. Whenever Süle is on the pitch, he gets in the way of dangerous chances from the opponent, he is a good passer of the ball and versatile which means he needs a contract extension.

Some things about Sané and Musiala

Leroy Sané adds a bit of oomph to Bayern; when Kingsley Coman went off with yet another seeming injury issue, Sané came on and proved to be a catalyst for the opening goal. He is difficult to deal with and his trajectory from the first few games of this season to now is quite unbelievable. He is the difference maker in quite a few games and has become much more than a luxury player.

Meanwhile, his much younger counterpart, Jamal Musiala, was slotted into defensive midfield and once again did a fine job. He is a masterful footballer and Bayern has one of the greatest youngsters in their ranks inn the world game.

There is STILL work to do

Yes, I know, I am being negative. This was a great win. In the first half, had Stuttgart been more effective, Bayern might have had to fight back from yet another deficit. You can only play the opposition in front of you, but, for large portions of the first half, partially because of the pitch, it wasn’t convincing. This team is incredible — the talent in this side is incredible; yet, I feel the team hasn’t hit their ceiling yet.

That’s it from me! Let me know your thoughts and thank you for reading!

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