Harry Kane will be raring to bounce back from a disappointing Euros with England. - © Stu Forster

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How will Harry Kane improve under Vincent Kompany at Bayern Munich?

18.07.2024

After scoring 36 goals in his first season in the German top flight, Harry Kane will be eager to kick on and help Bayern Munich bring the meisterschale back to Bavaria. bundesliga.com looks at how new boss Vincent Kompany can help improve the Bayern number nine..

Kane's first Bundesliga season may not have gone exactly according to plan as the reigning Meisterschale holders lost their crown for the first time in well over a decade, to Bayer Leverkusen.

On an individual level though, the Englishman really could not have done much better in his first campaign in Germany. Scoring a grand total of 36 goals and providing eight assists for Bayern meant that he was the runaway leader for the top scorer award for most of the season.

Now though, Bayern are starting a new chapter under the management of Kompany who joined the club this summer and has already seen significant change with the arrivals of Hiroki Ito, Michael Olise and João Palhinha. The Belgian is intent on deploying his own style of football which will benefit several of the existing personnel at the Allianz Arena.

What about the club's top-scorer though? Will he improve under Kompany's tutelage and how?

Watch: The best of Harry Kane in the Bundesliga

Under previous coach Thomas Tuchel, Kane was fielded as the number nine in a 4-2-3-1 system, filled with players around him who offered fluid movement beyond him to make the best of his abilities with the ball at his feet.

Kane is unlike most elite number nine strikers across the top clubs because of his blend of vision and ability to finish with efficiency. Dropping off from the forward line and forcing centre-backs to come deeper with him, Kane often plays like a midfielder, demanding the ball to feet and then using his expansive passing ability to pick out runners beyond him in the opposition final third.

At the start of last season, it was Leroy Sané who was the beneficiary of Kane's passing ability as the pair combined to score some deadly goals in the opening few weeks. Slowly but surely, Kane would strike up an excellent chemistry with the rest of Bayern's attack, particularly with the Raumdeuter himself, Thomas Müller.

Müller and Kane have struck up a great bond both on and off the pitch. - Maja Hitij

Kane's existing partnerships and dynamics with the players at Bayern currently have potential to be even better with his second season just around the corner. The addition of Olise on the right should bring the balance and an Arjen Robben-like presence with the Frenchman's ability to create or score with his left foot.

Last season under Tuchel, Bayen accumulated the highest average possession figures in the league, some 59 percent. However, they were at their attacking best in transition when there was space to be eaten up in behind the opposition line. This is where the likes of Musiala, Sané and Alphonso Davies were particularly dangerous. Under the new boss Kompany though, things are expected to change.

Bayern will still look to dominate the possession but also use it as a means to create chances and hurt opposition defences through patient sequences of play which can only be a good thing for someone of Kane's profile who enjoys seeing a lot of the ball.

Watch: Harry Kane under the tactical microscope

At Burnley, Kompany deployed various systems, but most prominently a 4-4-2 and some variations of a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 shape. Here, partnerships across the system are key - between the centre backs, the central midfielders, and between the forwards as well.

Kompany's signings so far will only serve to enchance the technical level of the side, meaning more players with the passing range and mobility to feed their number nine in Kane with chances. Last season, Kane led the league in shot attempts, taking a total of 145 shots at goal - head and shoulders above the rest of the league's forwards, with Loïs Openda (118) and Deniz Undav (103) behind him in the standings.

Expect that number to increase significantly this term with the creative production that the likes of Musiala and Olise bring. Additionally, Ito brings a wand of a left-foot in his ability to play out from the back, which will be beneficial in picking out runs in behind opposition defences. This offers a more direct route of access to Kane, who can then use his hold-up play to link with his fellow attackers.

The partnerships will remain the focus in attack, though. Kompany's tactics may not have yielded the desired results in the English Premier League, but back in the Bundesliga, with Bayern's elite-level personnel, the results should be drastically different.

The Belgian tactician's immediate priorities should be figuring out the best attacker to field with Kane, whether it be Sané, Musiala or someone else. Getting the best out of Kane also means to surround him with runners who can help reduce the out-of-possession burdens on him and help channel his talents strictly in an attacking sense.

This summer at Euro 2024, Gareth Southgate's side did make it to the final, however, Kane himself will undoubtedly be disappointed with not just the outcome, but also with his personal levels during the tournament.

One of the big takeaways was the lack of a profile that could penetrate opposition lines through sheer speed and directness. Ollie Watkins brought a bit of that later in the tournament, and the Three Lions benefitted directly as a result of that. Once again, to bring the very best quality out of a player like Kane, it is important to populate the rest of the offence with excellent athletes first and foremost. Ones who are ready to run in opposition defensive lines, at the drop of a hat.

Watch: Kompany: "The best job in the world"

Kompany must take lessons from Southgate's failures and aim to build on the promising offensive dynamics put together by Tuchel last term.

Building his possession-focused system by retaining the qualities that made Bayern so devastating in attack last season will be the challenge.

That challenge is eased by the world-class players at his disposal. The Belgian's success as a Bayern boss will be inextricably linked with his ability to get the best out of his top players, and Kane is the biggest factor in that equation.

Looking to rest and recharge now after a long Euros campaign, Kane will no doubt be eager to kick on and help Bayern show what they're made of once again in the face of growing competition around them for the Meisterschale.