On Tuesday evening, Bayern Munich overcame Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 at the Allianz Arena to record a crucial third victory in their Champions League campaign.
Prior to kick-off, both sides knew the importance of three points come the final whistle, having underperformed in the early stages of European football’s most prestigious tournament.
However, despite PSG and Bayern both creating a plethora of opportunities during the first half, it would be Der Rekordmeister heading into the break with the advantage.
Having seen the better of the chances prior to the interval, Bayern edged ahead of the reigning French champions when Kim Min-jae headed the hosts in front after a mistake from the all-too-clumsy Matvei Safonov in the PSG goal.
In the second half, an early red card for Ousmane Dembele would all but end PSG’s hopes of returning to Paris with a point.
The record champions would find themselves unfortunate not to increase their goal tally as they took control of the affair, with Safonov turning from zero to hero.
Ultimately, the tie would peter out with little drama threatening to affect the final score as Vincent Kompany’s side condemned PSG to a third Champions League defeat while simultaneously boosting their own chances of reaching the top eight.
Do Bayern Munich have a Harry Kane problem?
After recording a hattrick on the weekend—taking his goal tally for the season up to 20 for the season in all competitions—suggesting that Bayern have a Harry Kane problem could be deemed unnecessary.
Nevertheless, looking into the stats for Der Rekordmeister’s clash with the Parisians highlights an issue that has been plaguing Kane all season.
Before the interval, despite Bayern’s frequent flurries forward, the England captain recorded zero shots, zero touches inside the box, and a 62% pass success rate.
With Kane having to sit deeper in order to receive the ball, by the time Bayern get to the box, the Englishman is still making his way forward, practically nullifying his impact in the final third—where he would ideally want to be.
Therefore, the issue is not Kane himself, but it is ensuring that in big games, he is not the victim of Bayern having to be more cautious by sitting slightly further back.
In the Bundesliga against Eintracht Frankfurt, Kane registered six touches inside the box, while Michael Olise recorded eight, and Thomas Müller ended the game with 19, as per Fotmob.
While in their Champions League defeat to Aston Villa, Olise once again registered more touches inside the box with five to Kane’s four, with Serge Gnabry recording nine.
This is an issue that could affect Bayern in important games going forward, and if they do fail to win either the Bundesliga or Champions League this season, this factor could be the main reason as to why.
GGFN | Will Shopland
