England captain Harry Kane has warned Bayern Munich have the pedigree and “togetherness” to go all the way to Wembley.
Bayern striker Kane even drew on his experiences with Tottenham in 2019 as to why the ailing German giants can knock out Arsenal and go on to reach the final on Saturday, June 1. Kane has enjoyed a sensational season full of goals – he is now on 39 in all competitions – but it has been a disappointing season for Bayern, whose last shot at glory is the Champions League.
However, Kane insists he has no regrets about joining Bayern and believes they have the experience and quality in the squad to go all the way. Former Tottenham striker Kane reached the Champions League final in 2019 when they were having a bad season domestically and says there are similarities this time around.
Kane, 30, said: “We’ve got a lot of experience in our team, a lot of players in our team who have played Champions League for a long time, players who have played in finals, won finals and of course you have to lean on that and, as a team, show that on the pitch. We have to find that togetherness, we have to find that team ethic where we grind out games because we haven’t done it enough this year.
“In the Champions League, we’ve done well, had a good campaign but we will need more of that if we want to go all the way to Wembley. Look, it’s a competition that the club wants to win. Not winning the Bundesliga this year is a tough pill to swallow and it makes this competition even more important but we know there’s still a long way to go.
“That campaign with Tottenham itself is similar because we weren’t having a great time in the league if I’m totally honest that year but we found some passion and togetherness in the Champions League.
“We managed to get to the final and of course we didn’t manage to win it but that experience gives me hope that we can find that again. We know we can perform in the big games, perform in the big quarter final at home next week and try to get back to the final. Being at Wembley is also extra motivation for me personally being my national stadium and it’s still there to try and achieve.”
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Kane also spoke passionately about his time in Germany as he left Tottenham for Bayern in a £90million deal last summer in search of trophies. They are normally guaranteed at Bayern but they are trailing Bayer Leverkusen by 16 points in what has turned into such a bad season that Thomas Tuchel is on his way out as manager this summer.
But there are no regrets on Kane’s side even for a world class striker who could have the pick of Europe’s best teams chasing his signature. Kane said: “I’m really enjoying my experience in Germany and it was a step that I needed in my career for a fresh stimulus, a fresh challenge and new surroundings, new stadiums, new teams and I’m really happy that I made the move.
“Of course, I know how big the Premier League is, I played there for so many years before and my future is at Bayern Munich. I have a four-year contract, I’m really enjoying it, hopefully I will be able to make something special happen this season.
“But if not, I’ll be ready to go again in the summer and turn things around. It’s been a disappointing season in the Bundesliga mainly compared to what Leverkusen have done. You have to give them credit and respect but Arsenal was a chance to show our togetherness and we’ve done that.
“Of course it’s not the season I wanted with the way the league’s gone, the way we got knocked out of the cup early in the season and now we have hopes in the Champions League which would be an amazing achievement.
“But, for me, I try to perform for my team, I’m always confident to score goals. I’ve been doing that this year and I’ve been looking at areas I can improve, I still think there’s time this year where there’s areas where I can get better. You know me, I’m my own biggest critic and I always try to improve, always try to push myself. Hopefully I can show that from now until the end of the season.”
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