“Kane does all the things that aren’t actually his job”: former player sees problems ahead for Bayern Munich in the Champions League
Former Bayern Munich player Dietmar Hamann has also weighed in on the debate over Harry Kane’s role at the club. He is critical of the goalscorer’s constant movement.
In his column for Sky, Hamann assessed Bayern Munich's 2-2 draw with Arsenal in the Champions League and the debate sparked by Germany head coach Jürgen Klopp's half-time interview: "Jürgen Klopp said in an interview that he doesn't understand Harry Kane's role in Bayern's game. I don't know whether Klopp meant it as criticism. I've explained this before: Kane does all the things that aren't really his job. And Vincent Kompany said last year that he would be happy if Kane were in the opposition penalty area more often."
Klopp was surprised to see striker Kane drop extremely deep into his own half at times against the Gunners. He told DAZN reporter Daniel Herzog: "You just said: 'Harry Kane is everywhere today.' I think that's absolutely fine when his team have the ball. But when I see Harry Kane in the last line, and not in a deep block but during midfield pressing, then ..." He did not finish the thought, but also said: "But I'm not the pope of football; everyone can do what they want. But I still haven't fully got to the bottom of it."
Against Arsenal, Kane delivered an outstanding performance. He scored from the penalty spot and supplied the assist for Alphonso Davies' temporary equaliser with a superb pass. Kane even took a goal kick and was later named 'Man of the Match'.
Hamann, though, believes Kane's habit of dropping deep poses a problem at the highest level: "The question is: can you put the necessary pressure on the opposition defence if you have a striker who spends most of his time in midfield and defence? Saibari wasn't often up front against Arsenal either, and then there was simply a lack of presence in attack. That might work in the Bundesliga, but I don't know whether it works internationally."
Despite that concern, the former international called his former club's performance against last year's finalists from London "decent". He identified the absence of the suspended Michael Olise as a major drawback. "When a team like Arsenal press you, it's all the more important to have players who can hold on to the ball under pressure," Hamann explained. "Olise gets Bayern out of those situations time and again. Even when he has two players up against him, he's always able to hold his own, and somewhere a team-mate is then free."
Where do Bayern Munich stand in the Champions League table?
After three matches, Bayern have five points and sit 14th in the Champions League league-phase table. Next up is a difficult away match at Atletico Madrid.
Hamann does not expect Bayern Munich to secure a direct place in the knockout stage: "Even though Paris Saint-Germain had to go into the play-offs twice in the last two years and still won the Champions League in the end, the advantage of finishing in the top eight and thereby qualifying directly for the round of 16 is considerable, not least because of home advantage in the second leg. But I don't think Bayern will finish in the top eight."
