Harry Kane has been waiting to score his next goal for FC Bayern since winning the Ballon d’Or. But there’s no sign of a real slump in form for the English national team player. Quite the contrary: In the 2-1 away win against Mainz 05, the 33-year-old set an impressive Bundesliga record.
Since being named World Player of the Year, Kane has gone three competitive matches without scoring a goal. Neither in the 2-2 draw against Borussia Dortmund nor in the Champions League victory over Atlético Madrid (2-0) was the striker able to find the back of the net. He was also denied a goal in the most recent away win in Mainz.
Nevertheless, Kane remains one of the most important players for the German record champions. The Englishman regularly drops back into midfield, plays an active role in building up play, and sets up his teammates with precise passes. An extraordinary statistic now illustrates just how valuable these qualities are.
Eight assists in nine games: Kane is making Bundesliga history
With his two assists against Mainz, Kane has set a new Bundesliga record.
After nine matchdays, the Bayern striker already has eight assists to his credit. Since detailed data collection began, no player has set up more goals at this stage of a Bundesliga season.
Particularly noteworthy: The English international was credited with setting up both Bayern goals in the 2-1 victory in Mainz.
On the opening goal, Kane laid the ball off to Joshua Kimmich. The DFB captain took a quick touch and then fired a powerful shot into the top right corner.
Kane also played a decisive role in the second goal.
After receiving a pass from Konrad Laimer, the 33-year-old initially did not take the shot himself. Instead, he cut inside and played the ball to Lennart Karl.
The 18-year-old then simply had to tap the ball over the line, giving his team a 2-0 lead.
For Kane, these were his seventh and eighth assists of the current Bundesliga season.
Despite his goal drought, Kane remains Bayern’s game-changer
The numbers illustrate just how much the Englishman’s role in Bayern’s play has evolved.
While Kane primarily shone as an exceptional goal-scorer during his first years in Munich, he is now increasingly taking on the role of playmaker.
After nine Bundesliga matches, the forward has four goals and eight assists. In total, he has already been directly involved in twelve goals.
The fact that Kane is currently scoring less frequently himself therefore does little to diminish his value to the team.
Bayern legend Roy Makaay had already explicitly defended the Englishman’s playing style recently. “He just likes to drop deep and distribute the ball. But he also scores his goals. You don’t have to change his style; you just have to let him play the way he plays, because the team is already used to it,” the Dutchman explained to ran.
Kane’s versatility takes on particular importance, especially given the numerous injuries in Munich’s offense.
With Luis Díaz, Serge Gnabry, and Ismael Saibari currently sidelined, several key offensive players are missing. This makes it all the more valuable that the English international not only poses a scoring threat himself but also regularly sets up his teammates for scoring opportunities.
Kane should therefore be able to weather his current goal drought. After all, the new Bundesliga record impressively demonstrates that the Ballon d’Or winner can decide games even without scoring himself.