Hansi Flick praises the importance of Bayern Munich’s 4-0 win over VfB Stuttgart

After going down to 10 men by virtue of Alphonso Davies's red card in the 12th minute, Bayern Munich responded incredibly well, going on to beat VfB Stuttgart 4-0 at the Allianz Arena. A hat-trick from Robert Lewandowski and a goal from Serge Gnabry rounded out the scoring for Bayern, restoring their four point lead at the top of the Bundesliga table over RB Leipzig after they had defeated DSC Arminia Bielefeld 1-0 on Friday night.

Speaking after the win, Hansi Flick stressed the importance of collecting the three points, especially after being reduced to 10 men so early on (tz). It was especially important because of the clash against Leipzig looming large on April 3rd after the upcoming international break at the end of this month. “Last week there were ten more games, then nine and now there are eight more games. We’re counting down and hope to make it clear as soon as possible. We are happy that we were able to take the three with us today. Against the background that we were outnumbered early on. We’re going to Leipzig in good spirits,” Flick explained.

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Flick also provided a brief update on Joshua Kimmich, who was out of the squad today through illness. “This morning it was decided. It didn’t look good yesterday, but it was better that we give him a break today,” he said. Because of Kimmich’s illness, he deputized David Alaba in midfield alongside Leon Goretzka, but Alaba was resorted to a hybrid left back/midfielder when Davies was sent off for his red card infringement on Wataru Endo. “He is at the heart of this team. He can also play this position, he has already shown that against Lazio,” Flick said of Alaba, who he dubbed last season as his “defensive chief.” This also provided some clarity as to why Marc Roca was not used. “We made that decision. It is important that you have players on the field who pull the team away,” Flick said.

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