When Harry Kane sat on the bench for the entirety of Bayern Munich’s 5-0 victory over St. Pauli on Saturday, not many people batted an eye.
After all, Kane was coming off an ankle injury and a strong performance during the team’s 2-1 victory over Real Madrid last week in the Champions League. It only seemed natural for the English striker to rest after an arduous match right after dealing with an ankle ailment, right?
Right?
Well, Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany said that Kane had some minor issues
after the Real Madrid victory, which necessitated Kane being held out on Saturday.
“Resting him might not be the right word. Harry felt a few reactions after the game against Real Madrid, but it’s nothing serious for the next game. We shouldn’t take too many unnecessary risks with him. It was fantastic that he played the full 90 minutes [at the Bernabéu]. We might have to play 120 minutes in the next game, who knows. I hope not, but we have to make these kinds of sensible decisions,” Kompany said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).
That might not make Bayern Munich feels great about Kane’s status for this week, but it was the right move — and some honesty in an era where injuries are not often discussed openly.
Kane will have a few days to rest and prepare for the second leg vs. Real Madrid, but it was a smart move for the Bavarians to hold him out in what amounted to be a rout over St. Pauli.
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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