Harry Kane apparently has no intention of conserving his energy during the international break. Although the English national team has four matches coming up, the FC Bayern striker wants to start every game, according to Thomas Tuchel.
The England national team coach revealed in an interview with Der Standard that his captain himself had expressed a desire to play as much as possible. Given Bayern Munich’s upcoming grueling schedule—with numerous matches packed into just a few weeks—this could prove quite interesting for the club.
Tuchel himself would also generally prefer to make as few changes to his team as possible. However, the former Bayern coach left open whether this plan can actually be implemented given the heavy workload.
Kane wants to start all four games
Tuchel said of his captain: “To be honest, I’d prefer not to rotate the lineup. But I’m not sure if that’s possible. My ideal would be to field the same lineup time and again—with at least six or seven players from the starting lineup whom we trust. To give them responsibility and let them feel that trust. But I’m not sure if that’s possible. We’ll see.”
Tuchel made it clear that Kane himself isn’t asking to be rested. The Bayern striker “definitely wants to start all four games” during this international break.
This underscores once again the 33-year-old’s ambition. Kane is one of the absolute key players for both FC Bayern and the English national team, and apparently doesn’t want to voluntarily sit out any match, even with such a tightly packed schedule.
Bayern faces a grueling schedule
For the Munich team, the situation is quite relevant. Immediately after the international break, Vincent Kompany’s squad faces an intense stretch of Bundesliga, Champions League, and DFB-Pokal action.
Kane is practically indispensable as the center forward. Accordingly, those at Säbener Straße are likely to be closely monitoring exactly how many minutes the striker actually plays during his time with the national team.
Tuchel hinted, however, that he is certainly keeping an eye on his players’ workload. His desire for as stable a starting lineup as possible is balanced by the knowledge that four matches during an international break represent an enormous strain.
For Kane himself, however, the matter seems clear: The Bayern star wants to play—and preferably in every match.