Harry Kane against Arsenal and against the Bayern crisis

Straight

“Would you say that your season is being a failure?” the journalist asked Harry Kane this Tuesday. “It depends on what you understand by failure,” responded Europe's most effective striker. “We all want to win trophies, but I value the process.”

Kane's process is the goals he scores every time he plays. He has 39 points and 12 assists in 39 games in all tournaments this season. No striker in Europe registers a goal-every-80-minute ratio in the major leagues, excluding penalties. This is what this 30-year-old footballer accredits, who after completing an entire professional life at Tottenham emigrated to Bayern last summer to have the possibility of winning trophies, becoming the offensive reference of one of the historically best structured and most ambitious clubs. of Europe. But having lost the Bundesliga after 11 seasons of consecutive victories for Bayern at the hands of Xabi Alonso's Leverkusen, now those from Munich are clinging to the Champions League nail. After drawing 2-2 in London, this Wednesday (9:00 p.m., Movistar) they face Arsenal, another team that is experiencing the quarterfinals on the verge of unrest.

Bayern is in more turmoil than ever. They fired Julian Nagelsmann a year ago after paying 20 million euros to sign him in 2022, and now, after verifying that the players cannot stand Thomas Tuchel, the new coach, the club is studying the rehiring of Nagelsmann. Along the way, the board of directors fired Oliver Kahn, the president, and Hasan Salihamidzic, the sporting director, both Nagelsmann defenders. Bayern is turning in circles towards the depths of confusion and there are many media outlets in Europe that cannot find a more convincing cause to explain the crisis than the presence of Harry Kane in the squad. With a single argument of a magical nature: Kane, they say, is “jinxed.” It turns out that Kane played his entire life for Tottenham, a club that only won two English leagues, one in 1951 and another in 1961. Tired of waiting for them to put together a team to fight for big titles, after being the Premier's top scorer In three years, he went to Germany. He did not find a better destination after Tottenham blocked his transfer to United and City, direct rivals in the Premier for the Champions League places.

“Throughout my career people have expected a certain level from me,” Kane said at the press conference he held this Tuesday at Bayern's headquarters on Sabener Street. “That obviously involved goals and assists, but also an overall player performance that helped me lead and help my team. That has been the experience I have always had. I always expect a lot from myself. Nobody supervises themselves like I supervise myself. I hope I can have a good game this Wednesday. Not only scoring goals, but also doing everything the team needs in my game. “I will be ready for whatever the game asks of me.”

Kane's goal at the Emirates, from a penalty half an hour into the game, made it 1-2. But it was barely a detail in the performance of the most complete forward of the last decade together with Benzema. Tucked in midfield for much of the night, Kane dictated the timing of the game to prolong Bayern's possessions until stifling Arsenal's pressure. The rhythm of the team led by Mikel Arteta faltered, and he ended up losing his identity and his ability to control the game. Kane knew how to break his rival's confidence and pointed out the key to the return. “The most important thing in this game,” he said, “will be that we keep the ball better than in the first leg.”

Arteta's insecurity

Arsenal have been feeling insecure since Arteta went to the Etihad to lock themselves in behind against a City that was reeling from injuries. Rice, Odegaard and Jorginho played cover against Rodri, Lewis and Kovacic. It was an ominous sign. The defeat (0-2) against Aston Villa last Sunday removed Arsenal from the lead of the Premier League and exposed the latent disagreements in its squad. Now the English club that has spent the most on transfers in the last four years, with permission from the refounded Chelsea, is playing the season in one game in Munich. Like Bayern.

Subjected to increasing social pressure, Bayern players bear the ignominy of having interrupted an 11-year winning streak in the Bundesliga. The public goes to Allianz in search of vindication. Kane, who lost the Champions League final against Liverpool in 2019, is looking for an escape towards redemption. “Having reached the final and not being able to lift the title is something that burns inside me and pushes me to move forward every day,” Kane said. “If we beat Arsenal we will have two games left to get to Wembley.”

_