Minor injury
©IMAGO
Top striker Harry Kane is not in the squad for FC Bayern’s Friday evening game against Borussia Mönchengladbach due to injury. Coach Vincent Kompany confirmed this in advance at the press conference: “Harry got a blow to his calf and hasn’t recovered yet.” But there was “nothing serious for the near future,” said the coach, but the upcoming game was coming too early. Although the Munich team has alternatives in the squad, such as Nicolas Jackson, who is on loan from Chelsea, or Serge Gnabry, who can also fill the number 9 position, Kane is almost irreplaceable for the German record champions, as a look at the statistics shows.
Since his 95 million euro move from Tottenham to Munich in 2023, the Englishman has played 133 games in Bayern uniform. He missed nine games either due to injury, suspension or for load management reasons. While Kane’s absence was well compensated offensively – an average of 2.83 goals per game with him compared to 2.44 goals per game without him – another value in particular shows the enormous importance of the center forward for the Munich game: the average points won.
With Kane on the pitch, the Bundesliga leaders collect 2.32 points, without him almost one point less. An average of 1.44 points would result in 35 points extrapolated to the current season and thus only seventh place after the 24th matchday. And another key figure stands out: With Kane, the Munich team concedes 1.07 goals per game, but if he is not there, the number is 1.67 goals conceded. This emphasizes how great the attacker’s influence is on the game of the entire team and how highly his defensive quality should be assessed in addition to his obvious strengths in the offensive.
For example, with Kane only on the bench, Bayern lost 2-1 to third division team 1. FC Saarbrücken in the second round of the DFB Cup in 2023. This was also the case last season in the round of 16 against Bayer Leverkusen (0-1); At the time, the Englishman was suffering from a torn muscle fiber. Despite the absence of his top striker, who has to pass for the first time this season, Kompany does not fear a drop in his team’s performance against Gladbach. He was “completely relaxed” and said: “The boys who are there are really looking forward to this game and are excited about it. And if Harry isn’t there, then there are probably some boys who are already hoping: Okay, now I have my moment.”
