Kane only on the bench: Kompany explains Bayern’s rotation | OneFootball

Vincent Kompany opted for a surprising line-up for the away game in Stuttgart, with Harry Kane also initially not in the starting eleven.

The England international was substituted after an hour and went on to score three goals. After the game, coach Vincent Kompany explained his decision to give the striker an unusual wild card role: „I had this change in mind before the game. We have four games in eleven days. If I start Harry every game and he plays 90 minutes, I’ll be asked why he always plays.“

Kompany added: „Every time we played against Stuttgart, we got stronger as the game went on. I had the feeling that the spaces would be bigger when Harry came in – it was a good moment for him. And he did what he always does.“

Kane himself also spoke after the game about his role as a substitute. „It’s something I’m not used to, but I’ve done it a few times this season. The manager wanted me to stay fresh and save energy,“ the 32-year-old said after the final whistle. „I came on after 60 minutes with a few other lads and we were able to exploit the space and get the goals.“

Six changes – Kane, Neuer and Tah out for now

photo: IMAGO

Kompany made six changes to the starting eleven compared to the cup win against Union Berlin. Alongside Harry Kane, Manuel Neuer, Jonathan Tah, Serge Gnabry, Aleksandar Pavlović and Lennart Karl were initially on the bench, with Jonas Urbig, Minjae Kim, Leon Goretzka, Tom Bischof, Raphaël Guerreiro and Nicolas Jackson moving into the starting line-up instead. Konrad Laimer opened the scoring in the eleventh minute – with a back-heel after a one-two with Michael Olise.

Stuttgart held their own for a long time in the first half, but FC Bayern took full control after Kane’s substitution at the latest. The striker made it 2-0 with a long-range shot in the 66th minute, later converting a penalty and making it 5-0 after an assist from Olise.

„We had a tough cup game during the week and today away against one of the best teams in the league – but we looked stronger in the last half hour and punished them,“ said Kane in retrospect. With his goals 15 to 17 in the current Bundesliga season, he once again underlined his importance for the record champions. Particularly noteworthy: in just 76 Bundesliga games, he has already scored ten hat-tricks – only Gerd Müller (32), Robert Lewandowski (16), Klaus Fischer (12) and Jupp Heynckes (11) have managed more in league history.