Harry Kane out to show Bayern move was no downgrade against Man Utd

Harry Kane’s record-breaking move to the Bundesliga was one of the talking points of the summer and he has a chance to show his goalscoring quality against English opposition in Europe tonight. 

It is somewhat ironic that Harry Kane’s first Champions League game for Bayern Munich would be against Manchester United.

At the beginning of the summer, it was widely discussed that United should try and sign the England captain, only for them to decide to avoid negotiating with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy.

That might well have been a sensible choice, because their chances of reaching a deal were never high.

Late on in the window, Bayern experienced huge difficulties of their own before getting their man and that obviously should have been much more straightforward that dealing with United, since they aren’t Tottenham’s direct rivals.

And this is where one of the biggest talking points lies.

Numerous pundits claimed that Kane should have stayed in the Premier League and that joining Bayern would be some kind of downgrade. However, by moving to another club in England he would have been considered a traitor by Spurs fans. By joining the German record champions, he avoided such a fate, something which would appear to be important to him as a Spurs club legend.

Bayern move no downgrade for Kane

Moving to Bayern is not a backwards step; quite the contrary. In Munich, Kane has a huge chance to win the Champions League, because Bayern are bonafide contenders, as opposed to Manchester United.

United themselves might well have been better off with a world-class striker, rather than a raw youngster like Rasmus Hojlund, who still has potential to grow. And yet, it is doubtful whether Kane would have solved the problems at Old Trafford.

Bayern have a lot of issues of their own, and are definitely not in their best moment as far as quality of club management is concerned, but they are a stable club with a clear long-term strategy. They are a force to be reckoned with.

In Germany, Kane also has a chance to experience a new football culture. The power in the Bundesliga belongs to fans, who are seen as partners rather than customers.

That makes them more passionate about their clubs, and their feelings are much more positive, even when teams are not at their best. They are less likely to abuse coaches and players, or criticise them unfairly.

Kane is thoroughly enjoying the new environment. He was accepted with open arms by everyone at Bayern.

Leroy Sane, for example, remarked: “It is clear that Harry has been one of the best strikers in the world during the last decade. He fits well into the dressing room too, because he makes a very professional and down-to-earth impression. He is a completely normal guy.”

Kane already among the goals

The former Manchester City star is the one who is supposed to provide assists to Kane, but it worked vice versa in the opening minutes on the first Bundesliga matchday, as the Englishman sent a perfect through ball to Sane to score the first goal of the season in Germany.

Kane later scored himself, as Bayern thrashed Werder Bremen 4-0 away, and that was the perfect way to start the new chapter.

On his home debut in the Bundesliga, Kane scored a brace in the 3-1 win over Augsburg in the Bavarian derby. He couldn’t find the net in the 2-1 win at Borussia Monchengladbach despite having chances, but headed in early in the 2-2 draw versus Bayer Leverkusen on Friday.

That dramatic result highlighted the strength of Leverkusen, led by former Bayern star Xabi Alonso who is proving to be a very promising coach. RB Leipzig have a magnificent squad as well, and Bayern won’t have an easy stroll to win the championship title again.

They very nearly missed out last season to Borussia Dortmund, and the Bundesliga should be very competitive this term as well. In fact, there should actually be more tension in the title race than in the Premier League, as Manchester City could well pull away before May.

Champions League is Bayern’s priority

It won’t be straightforward for Kane to become the top scorer in Germany either.

He has started exceptionally well with four goals and an assist in four matches, but Stuttgart’s Sehrou Guirassy has scored eight times already. It looks like the journey will be enjoyable, but rather tough – and that is exactly what Kane needs in his new adventure.

The Champions League remains the most important competition for Bayern, and the coach Thomas Tuchel believes that his chances of winning the trophy again are higher now than during the triumphant campaign at Chelsea in 2021.

The road starts tonight against Manchester United, and Kane would love to score on his European debut for the new club, showing United exactly what they missed out on.