Serhou Guirassy vs. Harry Kane: how do Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich's star strikers compare?
A big focus of the Klassiker battle between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich will be on the two star strikers. How do Serhou Guirassy and Harry Kane compare? bundesliga.com delves into the tale of the two formidable forwards...
Dortmund and Bayern head into the first Klassiker of the new season with optimism. Borussia boast a 100 percent home record, while the Bavarians are unbeaten league leaders - records that just wouldn't be possible without strong collectives, yet also would be unlikely without the dependable nature of their pair of master finishers, namely Guirassy and Kane.
Summer signing Guirassy's start to the season was slowed down by a knee injury. However, since returning, he has been difficult to stop, scoring in five out of his eight Bundesliga starts to date. Alongside a higher level of teammates, the Guinean goal machine is unsurpisingly thriving.
As for Kane, he has picked up right where he left off last season, when he won the European Golden Shoe. Scoring 14 goals to date coupled, with six assists to his teammates, new boss Vincent Kompany could not have asked for a better return from his star number nine.
Ahead of their highly anticipated battle during Der Klassiker, it's worth looking at how the two strikers compare.
Watch: All 50 Harry Kane goals in the Bundesliga
Similar profile of strikers
What immediately stands out about the two strikers on the pitch is how very similar they are in their approaches to the game. Neither Guirassy nor Kane is particularly mobile, and if they got into one-v-one duels for pace, their opponents are likely to get the better of them.
Instead, what makes both world class in their field and absolutely undroppable for their teams is a combination of their quality on the ball and their ability to finish chances like few others can. Last term, Guirassy started the season at full blast, reaching double figures with 10 goals in just five Bundesliga matches. Though Kane ultimately finished with eight goals more to win the top scorer prize, Guirassy's tally of 28 goals in VfB Stuttgart colours was an exceptional effort and in fact second only to Kane across Europe's top five leagues.
Watch: All of Guirassy's goals from 2023/24 for Stuttgart
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"It’s something big to be competing with Harry Kane, who is a world-class striker. I think he has pushed a lot of strikers in the Bundesliga to raise their level to try to compete with him," Guirassy told The Guardian last year.
Kane's world-class talents have fit right in with the Bundesliga thus far. Recently becoming the fastest player to reach 50 Bundesliga goals, the 31-year-old doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
The Englishman is second to none with the ball at his feet. Dropping off from the frontline to receive the ball deeper on the pitch, he is able to use the pace of those around him with devastating effect thanks to his ability to pick out passes that not many other strikers can. Whether it be an incisive pass between the lines or a long diagonal to pick out a hopeful runner on the other side, Kane can do it all.
Watch: What makes Harry Kane so good?
Guirassy often finds himself dropping off from the frontline too, his lanky yet strong frame holding off pressure from defenders to find the perfect pass to onrushing teammates. As Deniz Undav found out last term, playing alongside the Guinean can be quite the delight as a strike partner.
Though he isn't blessed with Kane's passing range, Guirassy does enjoy seeing plenty of the ball and is not a striker who will simply occupy space between the centre-backs and wait for service. Many times, he will be the one manufacturing the service for others.
Playing smooth one-twos, helping his fellow defenders retain the ball in tight situations, and recognising the right opportunities to play through passes in behind - these are all part of Guirassy's repertoire with the ball.
It is often a complaint with ball-heavy strikers that they do not make enough of an impact in the penalty area. This is hardly a complaint with regards to Guirassy or Kane, who have both shown killer instincts in front of goal.
Watch: Serhou Guirassy - Delivering for Dortmund
A contrast in numbers
This season, Kane has taken an early lead in the top scorer race with 14 to his name. Second behind him is a seemingly unstoppable Omar Marmoush, who has been lighting up the league for Eintracht Frankfurt. Guirassy has some catching up to do in that regard. The Guinean has six goals to his name across eight appearances, which is a respectable record in itself. That tally is all the more impressive when you see that it has come from only 23 shots attempted by the Dortmund front man.
Whereas Kane is second behind Marmoush (45) for shot attempts with 43 to date. The Englishman has benefitted from the change in approach offensively under Kompany, and the results are there for all to see.
"It's fantastic the way we are dominating every game. Not only with the ball, but also without the ball with our pressing. It's just a lot of fun to play in this system," said Kane recently on the Belgian coach's methods.
Comparing both forwards' numbers with their peers across the top five leagues, Kane and Guirassy rank well above average in terms of pass completion rates, which is what makes them such a net positive when their respective teams want to dominate possession. When looking at advanced metrics such as expected assists and progressive passes for instance, both rank in the upper echelons.
Dortmund boss Nuri Şahin explained the influence of both strikers perfectly when he said, "He [Guirassy] has a similar profile to Robert Lewandowski and Harry Kane. They are not only defined by their goals, but also change the statics of the game. They know when to drop, how to create links on the pitch."
Watch: Der Klassiker - Bring the noise!
With Der Klassiker just around the corner, this chapter of Kane and Guirassy's match-up will be one to keep an eye on.
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