Harry Kane makes more history in Bayern Munich's latest rampant victory
In an attempt to keep his players fresh during Bayern Munich's busy schedule, Vincent Kompany rotated his starting XI against in-form VfB Stuttgart. In the end, his second-half changes and match plan, as well as another inspired Harry Kane display, secured a comfortable victory for the record champions.
Prior to this encounter, Stuttgart had won all five of their home games in the Bundesliga this campaign. Bayern, of course, will have been well aware of their danger in familiar surroundings, which led to Vincent Kompany unleashing a specific set-up - one which ultimately paid dividends.
The Belgian made six changes to the side that beat Union Berlin 3-2 in the DFB Cup in midweek, with star names such as Manuel Neuer and Kane surprisingly dropping to the bench. After the match, Kompany explained his reasoning. "We have four games in 11 days. If we go into a game against Stuttgart low on energy, they will score goals and are dangerous.
"When Harry came on, I felt it was the right moment as there was far more space for him to exploit. Then, he did what he usually does."
On this occasion, Kane scored three times in a little over 30 minutes. It was the 10th hat-trick of his Bundesliga career, which saw the England international break another record. He has required just 76 games to reach that number, surpassing the previous best of Gerd Müller's 161 outings by some distance. After the final whistle, the Man of the Match shared his delight at the result.
"I am very happy with today's game. The boys were fantastic. Stuttgart made it hard for us in the first half. The boss then introduced some fresh legs, and we were able to help," he said. Alongside Kane's hat-trick, fellow second-half substitute Josip Stanišić also found the back of the net.
Watch: Bayern ease to victory
Kompany spoke about games against Stuttgart being full of intensity, with victories only coming through performances high in energy. Konrad Laimer needs no invitation to play the game at full tilt, and it was he who scored the opening goal, beating Stuttgart goalkeeper Alexander Nübel with a clever backheel.
Ultimately, Bayern ran five kilometres more than their opponents (124.5 to 119.2), while they also racked up close to 30 more sprints (189 to 164). That kind of display was only possible thanks to those "fresh legs". The fact that some key players were able to sit out some of the match was a bonus. Against Sporting CP on Tuesday (kick-off: 6.45pm CEST), that extra rest may come in handy.
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