Bayern Munich star Harry Kane is no stranger to facing Arsenal.
That said, the stakes are high for Wednesday’s Champions League showdown and Kane knows getting a win will not be easy.
“It will be a tough
game. Arsenal are top of the Premier League and the Champions League for a reason. They are very solid, we need to make sure we’re alert and that we make it difficult for them to win the ball back. We need to use our strengths, our pressing. Two of the best teams in the world will be going at each other, and we’re looking forward to this game. It will be a good opportunity to test ourselves,” said Kane (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “They’ve become more solid, they have more experience – but they play similarly to how they did back then; defensively, their structure is better. They’ve gained experience in the Champions League, which has made them better and helped them grow. That’s why they’re in the position they’re in right now. It will be a good test for us tomorrow.
“With Tottenham, it was always one of the biggest games of the season against Arsenal; I have friends who are fans of both teams. It’s not quite the same with Bayern as we don’t always play against each other – we got an important win against them in the quarter-finals two years ago. I’ve scored a lot of goals here in this stadium – but haven’t won many games. I hope we can change that tomorrow.
“Tomorrow’s game will be different; Arsenal are more structured defensively, while against PSG there was more man against man pressing. But it was a great moment against Paris, that gave us a lot of confidence. Tomorrow will be tough again – we’ll have to see how it goes. We have to play with enthusiasm and try to reach our level so that it’s difficult for the opponent – just like in the first half against Paris. We can be dangerous against anyone.”
When asked if scoring against Arsenal would be special to him., Kane did not indicate as much…or at least not publicly.
“I’m not too sure. Obviously when I was at Tottenham, the North London derby was always a big moment. But it’s not about me against Arsenal, it’s about Bayern against Arsenal. I’m in good form and it’s all about helping my team and scoring goals,” said Kane.
One of the reasons that Kane has been so lethal this season is his development under Vincent Kompany.
“I have a very high opinion of him, of how he treats us players, how we train, work, and approach games. He sets a great example of how a team should act. He brought out the best in me. That fearlessness in pressing high, not being afraid of one-on-one situations, that mentality, that dominance – he gave us all a lot of confidence. I’m very impressed with how we’ve worked and I hope we’ll reap the rewards of that work this season,” said Kane.
Kane cannot do it alone, though, and the Englishman knows that he will have plenty of help from his friends — Michael Olise and Lennart Karl.
“Olise’s a great professional and a great guy. I haven’t played against him much in the Premier League, but you can see the quality, the way he works every day and wants to improve. You can see his development; he’s now in a team with better teammates – he’s really flourishing in this new environment. In the 18 months we’ve been together, I’ve seen him constantly improve. Tomorrow will be a tough game for him, but he has great confidence to take on this task,” Kane said. “I think (Karl is) ready for a game like this, he’s proven that time and time again. You can see his confidence, how well he performs under pressure – he’s fast, agile, and difficult to mark. He’s a good player and we’re very happy to see what he can do. He needs to keep working hard with a great coach we have who gives him freedom but also makes sure he doesn’t take too many risks – I hope he can continue to make the difference.”
Overall, Kane just wants to do whatever he can to win the Champions League.
“For me, winning the Champions League would mean so much, it would be incredible. We are one of the favorites, we learned a lot last season – for example, how to press in Barcelona. We’ve seen in the past 8-9 months that we are much more consistent and better overall. We look at the games and see the Barcelona game as a turning point, we learned a lot from that,” said Kane.
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…
Join the conversation!
Sign up for a user account and get:
- Fewer ads
- Create your own posts
- Comment on articles, community posts
- Rec comments, community posts
- Get notified when people interact with your posts
