German media label Harry Kane’s performance against Bayer Leverkusen a ‘CATASTROPHE’ as they criticise the £100m England captain for going missing as he takes just 18 touches and has one shot in 3-0 Bayern Munich defeat
The German press has torn Harry Kane after Bayern Munich suffered a dreadful 3-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday evening.
Thomas Tuchel’s side went into the crucial clash with just two points clear of their Bundesliga title rivals.
However, Bayern had a disastrous evening as they went down thanks to goals by Josip Stanisic, Alejandro Grimaldo and Jeremy Frimpong. To make matters worse, Stanisic is currently on loan to Leverkusen from Bayern.
The result means Xabi Alonso’s side – who remain unbeaten – are five points ahead of Bayern with 13 games remaining, and the German giants are now in danger of missing out on the Bundesliga title for the first time since 2011-12 , after they win it. for 11 consecutive seasons.
And after the game, several Bayern stars were targeted by the German media, including Kane.
Harry Kane was criticized by the German media after Bayern Munich’s loss to Bayer Leverkusen
Kane’s Bayern side were beaten 3-0 by their Bundesliga title rivals on a dismal evening
Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso has seen his side move five points clear of Bayern at the top of the table
German outlet BILD labeled his actions a “catastrophe,” while an article headline read: “The Kane Disaster.”
It went on to say: ‘He was actually brought in for games like this’, before later saying: ‘Harry Kane and his worst game in a Bayern jersey.’
In total, the England captain took just 18 touches in the 90 minutes and scored once, while Bayern achieved an xG of 0.27 despite having 62 percent of the ball.
Bild’s report further criticized Kane for his inefficiency against Leverkusen’s defenders as he highlighted how Alonso’s side deserved the win, with Tuchel complaining about his team’s ‘lack of strength up front’.
It continued: “Kane wasn’t in the match at all. No goal, no assist – BILD rating 6!
‘Only his effort was correct: he ran 10.8 km, only Mazraoui ran more for Bayern.
‘He should win the top scorer cannon. But he came to Bayern to win championships…’
After the match, Kane told Sky Sports: ‘We didn’t play well with the ball. I thought we put the pressure on well, especially in the first half and even in the second half, but every time we won it back we gave it right back to them.
“That allowed them to build momentum. In the final third we weren’t good at one-on-ones, we weren’t good at duels, the final delivery wasn’t there today, so a really disappointing day with the ball.
‘We are now five points behind, but there are still many games to go. This one hurts, we wanted a different result, but we have to focus on the Champions League first and of course on the next match.
‘There are still many games to play and we have to try to earn as many points as possible as quickly as possible.’
Asked whether Bayern were now the underdogs in the title race, Kane added: ‘That is not for us to decide. That’s up to everyone else to decide.
“For us, we have to focus on ourselves, we have to improve, we have to get better. We know that. The games are getting closer, so we have to turn it around quickly.’
German outlet Bild has heavily criticized Kane with some strongly worded headlines
The loss put pressure on Thomas Tuchel, with Bayern winning the Bundesliga for eleven consecutive seasons
Kane’s £100million move to Germany in the summer was aimed at winning trophies. Despite being one of the best strikers of his generation, the 30-year-old has yet to achieve any success in his career.
But with their title challenge faltering, Bayern out of the DFB Pokal and having failed to win the German Super Cup, this drought could continue even if Bayern remain in the Champions League.
Despite the significant criticism Kane received after the defeat in Leverkusen, he has had a sensational season.
The 30-year-old has scored 28 goals and eight assists in 28 games in all competitions and even with Saturday’s clean sheet, Kane has scored 24 times in 21 league games.
But an appalling display in their biggest game of the season so far has sparked outrage, with Bayern star Thomas Müller lashing out at his teammates after the match, suggesting all is not well within the squad.
Speaking to Sky Sports Germany, he fumed: ‘There are of course some symptoms on the pitch. To be honest, I’m devastated.
‘To quote Oliver Kahn: What I miss from us as players is the b***s in the game. We show significantly better approaches during training.
‘It’s okay to feel pressure, but there has to be energy and freedom. That’s missing from our game.’
He continued: “Sometimes we have to talk about us players. It’s not just about the coach.
“We have a lot of international players at the highest level, we need to improve our game.”
Thomas Tuchel refused to give up on the title race after the match and echoed Muller’s words for better application among his side.
Kane’s Bayern teammate Thomas Müller slammed his teammates and said he was ‘p***ed off’
The criticism of Kane comes despite his excellent record of 28 goals since his £100million move
He added: ‘We never throw in the towel on any match day. For us, the gap has changed, but the approach has not.
‘We have to continue, we have to get better and meet the standards that Thomas (Muller) has also formulated.’
Saturday’s result came after the first league match between the title rivals in September ended in a 2-2 draw with Kane scoring on that occasion.
Bayern are back in action on Wednesday when they take on Lazio in the first leg of the Champions League last 16 before traveling to Bochum in the Bundesliga next Sunday.