Harry Kane has long been known as a playmaking striker, but he was barely near the goal in Bayern Munich’s season opener.
The champions beat Stuttgart 5-1 and the only surprise was that Kane wasn’t on the scoresheet.
He spent most of the match in midfield, and then explained that it was all part of Vincent Kompany’s plan.
“When we play against Stuttgart, it’s basically man-to-man everywhere on the pitch,” he said.
“We always try to test the opponent’s consistency and determination. We trust that we can win the one-on-one duels. You saw that again today.”
Kane was man-marked by defender Jeff Chabot who followed him all over the pitch and got extra physical.
Kane says he was fouled a lot by Chabot
The England captain commented: “It was a good duel. There were a lot of fouls, but you have to expect that.
“I respect him as a player and as a defender. Of course, he does everything for his team to win this duel. I had to take some knocks, but that’s part of the game too.
“That’s what football is all about. I respect him and I’m sure we’ll play against each other again in the future.”
Kane also took a moment to discuss his contract extension, admitting talks are already underway.
Kane expects a new Bayern contract soon
“The first conversation took place last week. But as always, these things aren’t resolved in a week or two,” he said.
“There will be many more discussions about the details. I won’t discuss the details. However, the talks are positive. I had said they would be positive – and so far, things are going well.”
“I’m 33 years old. It probably won’t be my last contract, but it’s still a big and important contract that I’m signing. That’s why I need to make sure I’m happy with it.”
Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen added: “The chemistry is perfect. That’s why we’re really relaxed about this. Whether it happens a day earlier or later doesn’t matter.”
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