FC Bayern beat VfB Stuttgart 4-1 in the first home match of the year, taking three crucial points in the race for the top of the table. However, the Bavarians made life difficult for themselves after a good start and the opener, allowing the visitors to get a grip on the contest. "We shifted down a gear and deservedly conceded the equaliser," Leon Goretzka commented in the light of Stuttgart's goal. His coach was satisfied: it was "a deserved victory because of the wealth of chances we had," Niko Kovac summarised.
Reaction to Bayern v Stuttgart
Niko Kovac: "We got off to a good start and scored the opener. Then we went missing for 35 minutes. We were too slow, too many of our players were behind the ball, and we failed to unpick Stuttgart's packed defence. It was much better in the second half. We were quicker and played more vertically and were able to bring our individual quality into play. We got in behind our opponents' defence, and it was a deserved victory because of the wealth of chances we had. Now we must put it behind us: we won the match and kept up, now we move on!"
Leon Goretzka: "We got off to a good start, as so often this season. Then we shifted down a gear and deservedly conceded the equaliser. The good thing is at the end of the day it was a clear-cut victory. A match like this might have ended in a draw in the first half of the season. The final scoreline would have been completely different if we'd been three up at half-time. You're always under pressure at Bayern because you have to win every match."
Markus Weinzierl (VfB Stuttgart coach): "Congratulations to Bayern for the victory! We struggled at the beginning and soon went behind. But our reaction was good and we turned in a decent team display in the first half. We levelled the scores and had Donis' gilt-edged chance to go a goal up. You don't get many chances in Munich, you have to be efficient, and we weren't. Bayern made use of their individual class in the closing stages, it's incredibly hard to defend against that. That's why we lost the match today."
Christian Gentner (VfB Stuttgart captain): "Basically everything has to go well to take something away from Munich. A lot went well in the first half, we had a chance to make it 2-1. Later we could have made it 2-2. Taken altogether we lost deservedly. But there were some positive aspects, and we want to build on them in the upcoming matches."
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