Bayern Munich's Harry Kane shows there is more to his game in Mainz win
Harry Kane may have established himself as one of the most lethal goalscorers in world football, but his assists instead helped Bayern Munich defeat Mainz 2-1 away from home on Matchday 9. Having won the Ballon d’Or largely for his incredible knack for finding the back of the net, he is now showing a different side of his game…
Everyone knows the numbers by now. Kane netted an astonishing 61 goals in 51 games for Bayern last term, with his 73 in 65 games for club and country the second-highest tally in a single season behind only Lionel Messi.
The England captain has been amongst the goals this term, too. However, his return of 10 strikes in 15 games in all competitions is slightly below his admittedly high standards. After all, no player in the Bundesliga has fired off as many as his 43 shots, yet 10 players have scored more than his tally of four.
Watch: Mainz 1-2 Bayern Munich
Nevertheless, even when not at his prolific best, Kane remains directly involved in Bayern’s success on the pitch. As it stands, he has seven assists in nine league games, which puts him joint-top of the Bundesliga charts, and nine assists in all competitions.
He was again at the heart of things against the Zerofivers. For the opener, he was in a position to let fly himself, but instead laid off for Joshua Kimmich to hammer into the top corner from the edge of the box.
Later in the game, he had a shot that was blocked before the ball fell back to him. After two Bundesliga games without a goal, he may have thought about trying to work some space for himself to break his mini-drought. Instead, though, he poked the ball into Lennart Karl’s path, giving the teenager an easy finish.
Following full-time, Kimmich – who gave Kane the captain’s armband when he was taken off – was glowing in his appraisal of the centre-forward. “He set up both goals today, and he also set one up against Atletico Madrid. He’s always heavily involved, and even when he doesn’t set any goals up, he’s still very important for our game because - his goals aside - he has qualities we really need.”
All in all, only four players have created more chances than the 33-year-old, who continues to show how multi-faceted his game is. Given what he offers, it is no surprise Bayern were eager to offer him a new contract.
Earlier this week, Kane put pen to paper on that deal, which will keep him at the Allianz Arena until 2029. After the Mainz match, the England captain explained why he wants to stay in Munich.
Watch: Kane - "Bayern the best place for me"
“I think it’s just the best place for me to continue to improve. We’ve been really close in the Champions League. We obviously won both German competitions last year, which was amazing for me personally. We have a fantastic team and a great coaching staff. I feel I can keep improving. Right now I’m really happy to extend the contract.”
The goals will eventually return for Kane. But, in the meantime, it is a positive sign that he can still have a decisive impact, and should he continue in this vein, he may well finish as the top assister, to add to his three Bundesliga top scorer awards.
