Team-first Kane propelling Bayern to glory as PSG showdown looms

Having decisively ended his own silverware drought with
back-to-back Bundesliga titles, Harry Kane's team-first approach has been key
for a Bayern Munich side now chasing club football's biggest prize.
Whoever makes it through Bayern's
Champions League semi-final against holders Paris Saint-Germain, with the first
leg in the French capital tomorrow (28 April), will be the favourites for the
final in Budapest in May.
Last season's Bundesliga title was
Kane's maiden team trophy, at the age of 31. Having added another league crown
this season, Bayern's habit of hoovering up trophies is already rubbing off on
the England captain.
As always, Kane's individual statistics this year have been
stunning. The former Tottenham forward has 53 goals in 45 games in all
competitions, the most by an Englishman in any league in almost a century.
And this time around, Kane's goals
have come at crucial moments of big games.
Against Real in Madrid, his
long-range strike proved to be the winner.
In the second leg, Kane's
first-half goal brought Bayern level on the night and put them ahead in a
quarter-final tie which was in danger of getting away from them.
I'm here to win the Champions League
Kane left England 47 goals shy of
Alan Shearer's Premier League scoring record, with some commentators wondering
why he would leave with the mark in sight.
But while Kane developed a
reputation at Spurs for stacking up individual records rather than team
honours, in hindsight the striker's pursuit of goals was a clear example of his
team focus.
Since moving to Bayern, a club with
quality across the pitch and a number of threats, Kane often drops to help in
the build-up, sometimes deep into midfield.
Kane's willingness to sacrifice
individual honours for team objectives has never been more evident than in
recent weeks, when Bayern had the league largely wrapped up and needed to focus
on Europe.
After Bayern beat Dortmund in
February, Kane had scored four consecutive braces. With 30 goals in 24 games,
he looked on course for Robert Lewandowski's single season record of 41 goals.
But since then, Kane has started
just one of Bayern's seven league games, as Vincent Kompany has wrapped him in
cotton wool for the big stage.
After coming off the bench to help
Bayern come from three goals down to win 4-3 at Mainz on Saturday, Kane told
reporters where his true focus lay.
"It'll be tough," Kane
said of chasing down Lewandowski's record. "Obviously I'm here to try and
win the Champions League and try and win the German Cup.
"So, ultimately that takes
priority. All I can do is when I'm on the pitch, try and score, try and impact
the game."
Undoubtedly the biggest star in
Bayern's dressing room, Kane could have pushed back against his benching, but
he backed Kompany's call with loftier goals in mind.
'Something special'
Bayern were always expected to beat
Mainz on Saturday but the way they overran their opponents in the second-half
showed their unrelenting hunger and desire.
"This team is truly something
special -- that team spirit, that mentality -- it is truly unique,"
sporting director Christoph Freund said afterwards.
"That gives us a tremendous
amount of energy for Tuesday."
Kane called PSG "the reigning
European champions for a reason," adding the French champions are "a
really strong side with some great quality and are well-coached.
"There's going to be a lot of
activity. It's going to come down to moments and quality."
One challenge for Bayern is the
absence of coach Vincent Kompany, who is suspended for the opening leg.
Kompany's English assistant Aaron
Danks will be in the dugout. Kane said Bayern, who have lost just twice in all
competitions this season, are well-drilled enough without the Belgian barking
orders.
"Of course we'll miss him on
the sideline. He's our boss and our leader. But everyone knows what needs to be
done, even if the boss isn't on the sideline."
















