For 80 minutes, both the fans in the red and the white jerseys had to show some patience in Tottenham Hotspur's sold-out stadium. Then, the moment had finally arrived. The number 9 was held up on the touchline and Harry Kane made his first appearance at his former home ground since his move from Spurs to Bayern. Joshua Kimmich didn't hesitate to hand over the captain's armband to Kane who embraced his former Tottenham strike partner, Heung Min Son, as he moved into position.
The England captain had only recently returned from holiday and came on as a late substitution, but following a standing ovation by the crowd, Kane even came close to scoring after 84 minutes with a long-range effort. After the final whistle (3-2), Kane seized the opportunity to say goodbye to his fans with a lap of honour. It was the highlight of an eventful evening in London which should give Bayern plenty of optimism for a successful 2024/25 campaign.
Focus on energy and mentality
“I've only been here for a few days but I love the energy he brings,” Kane had said earlier about new head coach Vincent Kompany in an interview with fcbayern.com. Following four friendlies, it seems apparent that Kompany is aiming for a confident, pressing-based and active style of football. The word energy has often been cited by observers when analysing the new head coach's approach. “There's a lot of energy involved. The lads are having fun with the new system and the new coaching team,” said sporting director Christoph Freund ahead of kick-off. Kompany wants his side to be bold, press high and play with joy. All of this was on display in the north of London on Saturday evening. Press to play.
A noticeable high-press approach
To understand Bayern's aggressive and confident approach to the game, Serge Gnabry's 2-0 on 31 minutes serves as a perfect example. In the starting XI for the first time since returning from holiday, Jamal Musiala anticipated a short pass by Tottenham's goalkeeper and managed to gain possession before Thomas Müller passed the ball to Gnabry. Müller would later score a beautiful goal with a header but Gnabry and London proved to be a glorious combination once more as he netted the goal. The 29-year-old has scored seven of his 16 Champions League goals in stadiums in London, an incredible statistic from the former Arsenal player.
In the first friendly against Tottenham in Seoul a week ago, Bayern had already scored an early goal following a similar high-press situation. Just like during the 2-1 win in South Korea, Mathys Tel and his teammates played some very attractive football particularly in the first half and more than deserved the 3-1 half-time lead. “We put on a good performance today. The first half was very good,” said board member for sport Max Eberl.
So, how to summarize Bayern's situation going into the first competitive game of the season in six days against SSV Ulm in the DFB Cup and following four unbeaten friendlies? “It's still a friendly but we showed very good mentality,” Kompany commented while sporting director Christoph Freund emphasised “the positive spirit”. Considering the performances shown, Eric Dier was also “very satisfied. It wasn't perfect but we did our best. We're trying to adapt to each other more and more and want to implement our coach's ideas better.” Bayern's dependable defender had obviously enjoyed returning to his former club just as much as Harry Kane had.
„“I think you'll see very intense performances of ours this season. That's the best approach for the players we have.””
Harry Kane
Hungry for more
Striker Kane already looked ahead towards the start of the competitive season and the upcoming months: “I think you'll see very intense performances of ours this season. That's the best approach for the players we have.” This statement should surely make the Bayern fans hungry for more. Everyone in red will be hoping that Kane and his teammates won't only be met with standing ovations during the pre-season but preferably at the very end of the season too. It remains to be seen if this can be achieved with a high-pressing system, a collective defensive effort, with pure joy in playing, or with all of the above. Bayern seem ready for the 2024/25 campaign. Press to play. We're ready to go.
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