3 thoughts from Bayern Munich’s 3-0 DFB Pokal win over Stuttgart

Bayern Munich won the domestic double with a 3-0 victory over Stuttgart in Berlin. Despite being scoreless at half-time, Bayern’s quality ultimately prevailed as Harry Kane scored his fifth hat-trick of the season. Bayern’s post-match celebrations were filled with smiles, hugs and dancing before most of the squad headed to North America to represent their country at the 2026 World Cup.

Six of the past eight DFB Pokal finals ended up with a multiple-goal difference and never felt particularly close. Tonight’s final result was similar, but it proved to be a tough game with neither team willing to concede an inch of space to the other. Bayern’s first chance resulted in the opening goal, and Harry Kane’s next goal was the byproduct of a long stretch in which Stuttgart finally caught their breath. Angelo Stiller conceded the penalty in stoppage time purely because he was mentally and physically tired.

Stuttgart brought brutal physicality to Berlin. Referee Sven Jablonski consistently allowed high challenges from both teams and did not reward players who went down easily. There were several fouls in the first half that should have resulted in yellow cards, but Jablonski held the line and allowed players to duel. The first yellow card came in the 54th minute, when Chris Furych tactically pulled on his jersey to slow down Michael Oliseh for his 13th foul of the game.

In the ensuing free-kick, Joshua Kimmich put Olise into a one-on-one situation with quick play, easily beating Ramon Hendricks to the edge of the end and Harry Kane catching a dozing Cema Andres for an easy header. After Kane’s goal, Bayern retained possession and forced Stuttgart to chase the ghost for the rest of the night.

Jonas Erbig played like a veteran

Manuel Neuer had a calf adjustment in last weekend’s final Bundesliga game, paving the way for Ulbig to reach his first career final. Bayern struggled to build up from the back in the early stages of the match, and Ulbig was forced to make three saves in the first half.

Vincent Kompany changed his strategy by attracting Stuttgart’s high press and taking advantage of Ulbig’s precision with long balls. Ulbig pinpointed hold-up players who could link up with Konrad Reimer and Josip Stanisic and began making diagonal runs under the hold-up players. This strategy came to the rescue, allowing Michael Olise and Luis Diaz to open up the wings and eventually create an attacking threat in the final third.

Erbig started 17 games and finished the season with seven clean sheets. This ratio should maintain or increase next year as Neuer’s extra time allots more time to Arbig.

Vincent Kompany got it right.

In Kompany’s first cup final as manager, he did not tweak his preferred starting XI. He believed the team would weather the storm and that Harry Kane would produce another strong performance to help Kane win his first Cup title as a professional.

Renato Karl was introduced in the 76th minute to replace Jamal Musiala. Leon Goretzka was substituted in the final stages. Hiroki Ito, Tom Bischoff and Rafael Guerreiro received honorary substitutions near the end of the season as a reward for their accomplishments this season.

For the first time since 2020, this is a well-constructed roster playing as a single unit. Additions will be made over the summer, but there will be no major structural changes. Kompany becomes the first Bayern manager to stay in charge for 24 months since coach Josep Guardiola.

For more coverage of Bayern Munich and the German national team, check out the latest episode of Bayern Podcast Works. This episode is available on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any major podcast distributor…

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