Game of Numbers #32 – Harry Kane’s playmaking at Bayern Munich

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The Harry Kane saga simply went on for far too long. But it’s ended in the perfect harmonization of managerial and player style of play. On the day of the move, I wrote about why Kane was a perfect fit for Bayern. The central premise – Kane is the best ‘False 9’ in the world, coming to a club led by one of the last remaining ‘False 9’ proponents in Thomas Tuchel.

It’s turned out even better than expected, as he’s allowed the other key cogs in the side to hit some of their best form since the days of Robert Lewandowski. And while Bayern Munich still haven’t been perfect in their quest for their thousandth successive title, they have continuously played to the highest standard seen so far in the post-Lewandowski era. Here is what Harry Kane has brought to Bayern Munich, and why it’s been a perfect match.

HARRY KANE’S PLAYMAKING INFLUENCE

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Harry Kane works best when given the freedom to roam. Although he’s one of the greatest goal-scorers of his generation, he genuinely works best as someone pulling the strings and creating chances for others. He’s happy to play second fiddle as others sprint in behind, and he’s exceptional at taking the attention away from himself, so he can pop up in unexpected areas and score.

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That is the way that Thomas Tuchel has tended to play with previous clubs. Most notably at Chelsea, when he deployed Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Mason Mount as a floating rotational three that could come in and out of the ‘9’ position. That is also the direction that Bayern Munich have gone since the departure of Lewandowski and the lack of a clear replacement. For that matter, it’s even an underrated aspect of what Lewandowski brought to Bayern, despite him being more of a penalty box threat. Perfect harmony.

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At the weekend against Darmstadt, Harry Kane frequently dropped into midfield to link up with those further ahead. Opposition sides typically want to sit back against Bayern and thus allow more space toward the halfway line rather than their own goal. For a player like Kane to showcase his strengths and spread his wings, it’s often best for him to drop deep. As a result, opposition sides only play into Harry Kane’s strengths by setting up in this way. Darmstadt found that out. And it became even more imperative on the day with Joshua Kimmich receiving an early red card.

Harry Kane became the key cog to spread play long and break lines with those nice looping passes or switches of play, ensuring die Roten did not always have to play through the thirds with shorter passes.

But the strategy becomes even more effective the closer you can get Harry Kane to the penalty area. From these positions, Kane is exceptional at making through passes into space, or hitting a pass over the top for a sprinter like Leroy Sané. We all know this from Kane’s days at Spurs with Heung-Min Son. Now the former Spurs man has both Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sané to inject further unpredictability of what’s happening in behind.

This also makes Kane an essential key to the cog on counter attacks. With 62.5% possession this season, Bayern don’t get many opportunities to hit the opposition on the break. But as they gain momentum and start scoring goals, the opposition naturally start to leave themselves exposed as they claw their way back into the game. Kane can then be a key leader in running with the ball into space and playing the pass onto someone else at the right moment. This is something else we saw with Kane and Son at Spurs.

So while his goals are always impressive, it’s often times the playmaking aspects that become the hallmark of Kane’s influence. That said, the British striker is off to an all-time start in Germany, and it’s worth noting a few key elements that have allowed him to score so many goals.

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First off, Harry Kane is exceptional at scoring a variety of goals from all over the pitch. Darmstadt witnessed that first-hand, when he scored from his own half.

That’s a rarity for anyone. But still a clear sign of Kane’s spatial awareness. Watch the video and see how quickly Kane makes his mind up. This is where he’s always a step ahead of the opposition, despite not possessing that raw pace or power to beat players 1v1. He always knows where to take his touch, where to shift the ball, and when to either pass or shoot based on his perceptions of BOTS. He’s quite cheeky with disguises through subtle shifts the shoulder and feet, and keenly aware of how to take the ball away from the defender’s momentum.

He escaped this moment against Darmstadt even with four defenders closing him down, simply from his perceptions of space and momentum, not to mention his recognition of exactly when to let fly – taking into account his own need to set himself up for a powerful scoring opportunity against the four defenders closing him down. One of his goals against Darmstadt came from a similar recognition, causing the goalkeeper to completely flop to the floor with a fake-out, before slotting the ball into the net with ease.

Combine that cleverness with the technical skill to score with his head, right or left, and you get one of the deadliest goal-scorers on the planet. The goals will always be his legacy. But his ability to assist others cannot be overlooked as we look back on Harry’s Kane career. This could be a wonderful chapter in that career filled with silverware, and it’s only getting started.

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Be sure to check out more from my Game of Numbers series, and follow on social media @desmondrhys. Thanks for reading and see you soon!

-> Game of Numbers #31 – Scoring goals from central midfield like Scott McTominay

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