Bayern Munich: Thomas Tuchel not concerned by form of Harry Kane
The last couple of games have been challenging for Bayern Munich. They have suffered defeats against Lazio and Bayer Leverkusen. The defensive mistakes allowed Leverkusen and Lazio to score goals in games where Bayern dominated possession. While there are issues with the way Bayern defend, the team’s play in the final third is a major cause for concern.
The Bavarian club didn’t have a single shot on target against Lazio on Wednesday. In the 3-0 defeat against Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern had only one shot on target. For a team that has so many quality attacking players, one shot on target across two games is an atrocious return.
Harry Kane has done the bulk of the scoring for Bayern this season. The English striker has struggled for chances in the last two games. Kane has dropped deep to create chances for the wide players, but teams managed to limit his quality in possession by giving him very little space and time on the ball.
Kane probably delivered his worst performance in the Bayern shirt on Wednesday. He was misplacing passes that are usually his bread and butter, while his movement in the final third was poor. While talking to the media on Saturday (via iMiaSanMia), Thomas Tuchel urged his players to find Kane at a better rate than they have done in the last few games.
""Harry takes care of himself. He doesn't need me. He's not happy with the connection in games. Neither are we. I've rarely seen such a discrepancy between training and matches. The way he scores in training, the way he puts his chances away - it's incredible. It's world class. But then we rarely find him in matches. He acts like a captain. Everything's okay with him.""
- Thomas Tuchel
The England international has been sensational for Bayern since arriving from Tottenham Hotspur in August. He has scored 28 goals for Die Roten across all competitions. The 30-year-old striker is the leading scorer in the Bundesliga with 24 goals.
The last couple of games have been poor from Kane, but there are much bigger things to worry about for Die Roten than the form of the English striker. He is the best forward at the club. Tuchel needs to find a way to maximize his qualities instead of coming up with tactical setups which makes things difficult for Kane.
The England international joined Bayern to win trophies. It will be an unfortunate coincidence for him if Bayern end up trophyless in his first campaign in Germany. They remain alive in both competitions but need flawless performances in the next three months to lift silverware at the end of the season.
Kane and Tuchel will look to get the league campaign back on track when they travel to VfL Bochum on Sunday. Bayer Leverkusen currently have a lead of eight points after beating Heidenheim on Saturday. Bayern may have to kiss goodbye to the league title if they suffer defeat in Bochum.