Harry Kane likes to drop deep, get on the ball, look up, and play a pass in behind. He was always afforded this opportunity at Tottenham because they left a deliberate gap for him to run into. At Bayern Munich, Jamal Musiala plays the No.10 role, very much in Kane’s way on paper. 

The understanding between the pair is key to Bayern’s attack, and Musiala is often found doubling up with one of the wingers to vacate the No.10 space for Kane to use instead. 

Bayern have enjoyed the company of a string of traditional strikers in recent years, so this development from Musiala was central in accommodating all Kane has to offer beyond goalscoring. 

However, it must be said that Kane isn’t coming short to receive the ball nearly as often as he did at Tottenham. Why? Well, this is still Musiala’s zone, and he and the wingers do much of their best work not in behind defences, but between their opponents’ midfield and defensive lines. Here, Kane’s role is to pin back defenders, pushing their defensive line back towards their own goal, leaving space in front for the likes of Musiala, Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry to play in. Helped also by Leon Goretzka’s lower positioning in these moments, Bayern can draw midfielders forward (as well as defenders back), maximising space between the lines. 

Kane can still perform high-quality hold-up play, but instead of dropping deep and playing in behind, as seen below, he can receive a pass and play back into the space without turning. Leroy Sané’s goal against Manchester United was a perfect example of this coming inside from the right flank. 

One new move Bayern have developed involving Kane’s excellent hold-up play is their two-pass switch of play. Through clever spacing of midfielders and wingers, Bayern can manipulate the defending team’s press such that they can play a direct pass from full-back into Kane’s feet. Bayern’s objective when we see this is always to access the far winger (hopefully isolated). 

To ensure this, Musiala will make a decoy run, taking a defender with him, leaving the far winger one-v-one. Whether Kane plays the ball in behind or straight to feet, Bayern can switch play from full-back to far winger in two passes, drawing defenders out of position, and all without it appearing too obvious.