After a break for the opening round of international fixtures Bayern would return to Bundesliga action with a home game against VfB Stuttgart, a team that had started as it had finished the previous season – struggling at the wrong end of the table. Starting without Arjen Robben of Franck Ribéry – the Frenchman would start on the bench – the Bayern team would have a distinct lack of pace about it; Dante and Juan Bernat would come in for Sebastian Rode and Xherdan Shaqiri as Pep Guardiola continued with his policy of rest and rotation.

Despite missing their speedy wingers, Pep Guardiola’s side would start brightly and quickly stamp their authority on the game. Stuttgart would have little time to breathe during the opening twenty minutes, and Bayern would create a number of chances through Thomas Müller, Mario Götze and Robert Lewandowski – but VfB ‘keeper Sven Ulreich would be well up to the task.

Just short of the half-hour mark big right-back Antonio Rüdiger would head wide for the visitors as they made a rare foray into the Bayern half, but less than two minutes later Götze would give Bayern the lead after collecting Xabi Alonso’s nicely-flighted free-kick and sending a well-struck shot that curled away from and round Ulreich.

Rather than up the ante Bayern would slow down as the game approached half-time, and things would certainly not be helped by the withdrawal of Holger Badstuber two minutes before the break. Having just returned to the side after a long layoff though injury the luckless centre back would later be diagnosed a thigh injury that would put him back on the sidelines for another two months.

The sluggishness would continue well into the second half, and while Stuttgart remained largely unthreatening there was little spark from the Bayern midfield. Having scored his goal Götze would once again disappear from view, eventually making way for Ribéry with just over twenty minutes remaining. The Frenchman would immediately inject more life into the midfield, and Die Roten were slightly unlucky not to double their lead when Alonso and Lewandowski both managed to hit the woodwork.

Bayern would have to wait until three minutes from the end to wrap things up and seal what could best be described as a workmanlike victory, with Ribéry drilling the ball firmly past Ulreich with Lewandowski providing the vital assist. The Frenchman would almost make it make it three right at the death, but his smart lobbed effort would be hacked away by the impressive Rüdiger.

There would be nothing much to write home about, but after dropping two points in Gelsenkirchen they would be back on the winning trail – with Manchester City awaiting them in midweek in the Champions’ League.

Bundesliga Week 3
Allianz Arena, München, 13.09.2014

FC Bayern 2:0 (1:0) VfB Stuttgart
Götze 27., Ribéry 85. / –

FC Bayern: Neuer – Boateng, Dante, Badstuber (43. Gaudino) – Alonso – Bernat – Lahm (c), Alaba – Götze (68. Ribéry) – Müller, Lewandowski (87. Pizarro)

Stuttgart: Ulreich – Klein, Schwaab, Rüdiger, Sakai – Romeu, Gentner (c) (69. Gruezo ) – Harnik, Leitner (80. Maxim), Ti. Werner – Ibisevic (46. Kostic)

Yellow Cards: Alonso / Romeu, Kostic