- Harry Kane’s Bundesliga Debut
- Immediate Impact and Scoring in Victory
- Kane’s Role in Bayern’s Attacking Setup
Welcome to the Bundesliga, Harry Kane. In a frenetic, pyrotechnic milieu that Bayern Munich’s league debutant rarely encountered in England, he learned what he knows better than almost anyone. He will not care that his second goal, scored in the 74th minute of a straightforward victory, took a slight deflection off Amos Pieper, nor that Leroy Sané, whose first goal he set up, leads their early scoring rankings. By killing a duck and repelling any approaching monkey, Kane demonstrated that at least one significant trophy should be within his grasp.
This will be the case if all of his domestic opponents are as weak as Werder Bremen, who are probable relegation candidates and have not defeated Bayern in 15 years. However, Kane wanted a smooth, seamless performance without a harsh feeling of location. The past week flew by, but it was difficult to envision a future in which his and his new colleagues’ radars fail to align. Thomas Tuchel remarked afterward, “His attentiveness makes all the players better because they see it.” It’s been only seven days.
Everyone outside of Bremen had predicted that Kane would steal the show, despite the host team’s efforts. While a scattering of curious onlookers had gathered in front of Bayern’s city-center hotel, the presence of new stardust was of little concern to those sipping pre-game Becks by the Weser. They have witnessed the Bayern circus come into town numerous times with all of its trappings; on the champions’ previous 15 visits, they had typically watched it leave with the spoils.
If their home stadium’s distinctive floodlight towers and bounding stands, a pulsating mass of green an hour before kickoff, provided a textbook Bundesliga experience, then another resounding Bayern victory would have the same effect. The total tally of these contests was 41-10.
It took Kane about three minutes to demonstrate his knowledge of recent history. He had already attempted to send Kingsley Coman through with a cushioned pass when another opportunity presented itself near midfield. Werder’s defense was caught flat-footed, but it required quick vision and an innate understanding of Sané’s give-and-go to place an instant ball into the space. Perhaps it was a sign of a blossoming relationship, but it also served as a reminder that exceptional athletes need little time to assess one another. Sané tipped the finale past Jiri Pavlenka; the evening and possibly the entire season were doomed.
This was a laboratory version of how Tuchel wants Kane to unleash the running, gliding, and twinkling feet surrounding him. If Kane descends to liberate Sané and Coman, who are operating to his right and left, respectively, they should be free to wreak havoc. The same applies to Jamal Musiala, who repeatedly sliced through Werder from his nominal No. 10 position. Bayern has the depth and precision to make the Kane recipe work without Serge Gnabry.
If Kane desired a measure of familiarity, he might find it in one of the men tasked with halting him. Milos Veljkovic made his Spurs début against Sunderland on April 7, 2014, the same day that Harry Kane scored his first Premier League goal. Veljkovic cost £250,000 when he moved from north London to Bremen two years later; here, he battled an old ally worth up to 400 times that amount, a touch-tight shadow when Kane fell short for throw-ins or drifted to the left.
Kane had only one real chance before he evaded Veljkovic’s defense once more and added what was essentially the game-winning goal, despite Bayern’s overwhelming dominance.
Bayern’s blur of movement on the flanks occasionally betrayed a lack of creative poise when he was occupying a conventional center-forward position, making him appear at times a bit isolated. He had a first-half shot blocked and mistimed an unsighted header, but shortly after the hour mark, his run down the inside right flank and low, the early shot was met with a fingertip save from the fatigued Pavlenka.
Coman had already hit the post at that juncture, and Bayern required a buffer due to the recurrent half-chances. Leonardo Bittencourt and Niclas Füllkrug both miscued for the hosts after the halftime break. Füllkrug is a low-fidelity equivalent of Tottenham-era Kane: a stout 30-year-old academy product who, via detours, has made a splendid career here and tied for the Bundesliga scoring lead last season. He has his summer of transfer rumors behind him, and these rumors will continue to circulate. Kane’s golden boot battle was overshadowed by Alphonso Davies’ left-wing rocket and his 15-yard finish.
Kane left the scene six minutes later with what he subsequently confirmed was a cramp. Sané added his second goal, while Kane’s replacement, Mathys Tel, emphasised Bayern’s progress.
Shortly after Kane’s assist for Sané, the Weserstadion supporters behind the Ostkurve displayed their response. The banner said, “No player in the world is worth €100 million,” citing Uli Hoeness’ 2017 statement. Werder fans may have to retract their comments if their latest signing performs as well as the Bayern executive.
