Berlin (Germany): Harry Kane and Robert Lewandowski dominate the news around Bayern Munich ahead of the Bavarian’s 2022/23 Champions League opener against Inter this Wednesday evening.
Despite both top strikers playing in the shirt of Tottenham and Barcelona, the 29-year-old Englishman and 34-year-old Pole seem omnipresent after the reigning German champions slipped into a goal-and-result crisis in the national league.
Two disappointing draws added fuel to the smoldering and controversial discussion around if Bayern can make up for the loss of Lewandowski and plans to sign one of the Premier Leagues leading strikers next summer.
Scoring only two goals out of 56 chances against national rivals such as Moenchengladbach and Union made the 2020 treble winner lose the league lead and drop back to the third position.
While the new tactical 4-2-2-2-system based on several forwards changing positions upfront paid off in the first three games when fans celebrated their team firing on all cylinders (15 goals), the upswing has come to hold before the Champions League campaign’s kick-off.
Lewandowski’s smooth start in Spain (five goals in four games) increased the doubts if Bayern’s sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic did a good job not replacing the departed goal-source (238 goals in 253 league games).
Early in the season, the Bavarians are far from slipping into a troublesome time, but things seem to have turned after the enthusiasm triggered by the signing of Sadio Mane from Liverpool, reports Xinhua,
Media reports speak of Bayern having forwarded plans to sign Kane next summer to the striker’s brother and agent Charlie.
The German side is said to have told the management to place a convincing offer when the spearhead doesn’t extend his contract with the Spurs over 2024.
A move to Munich might make sense for Kane as he has scored 188 goals in 285 Premier League games for the Lilywhites but failed to win silverware with the London side.
Coach Julian Nagelsmann denied the loss of Lewandowski is a pressing issue for Bayern “as he left; that’s a fact.”
While former Bayern coach Felix Magath spoke about “Bayern now getting aware of the problem not having solved their spearhead issue in time”, German record international Lothar Matthaeus is convinced that the Bavarians remain one of the 2022/23 campaigns favorites.
Nagelsmann is keeping calm as he revealed only a slight “efficiency problem” and said his team lacked preciseness in the recent league games while being the dominating force in both games.
Some experts see the club in a transition period after 10 national championships in series and two Champions League victories grounded on a 4-2-3-1 system with only one box striker.
Explaining the draws, Nagelsmann spoke about his team not having reached a similar high energy level as in the first three games. The 35-year-old spoke about “sloppiness in several attacks. We have to be awake from the first moment to the last.”
It seems for Bayern to vanish their Lewandowski memories and the plans about Kane by getting the ship back to calm waters. A convincing victory against Inter might do the job for now.
–IANS