The Bavarians go into Wednesday's showdown at San Siro without several key players, placing even more pressure than usual on their talisman
With just over 15 minutes to go at the Allianz Arena last week and Bayern Munich trailing 1-0 to Inter, coach Vincent Kompany decided it was Thomas Muller time. The veteran forward had announced he would be leaving the club at the end of the season, after 25 years on the Bavarians' books, meaning the stage was set for a dramatic final act.
Unsurprisingly, Muller played the role of super-sub to perfection by turning home Konrad Laimer's cross to draw Bayern level with just five minutes remaining. However, Inter almost immediately flipped the script with a brilliant breakaway goal that earned Simone Inzaghi's side a most valuable victory. Muller was understandably frustrated, but far from downbeat, reacting to the fact that he'd been upstaged by Davide Frattesi with characteristic good humour.
"It was unfortunate that the last counterattack made it 2-1; otherwise, the Muller story would have played out…" he told . "I'll have to complain to Inter!"
Muller knew full well that Bayern only had themselves to blame for their first home defeat in the Champions League for four years.
"The chances converted were the key," he pointed out. "Ultimately, it’s about goals in football and we didn't take our big chance to make it 1-0."
To put it more precisely, Harry Kane didn't take Bayern's big chance to make it 1-0 – and, as is so often the case, the Englishman's form is a topic of much debate going into Wednesday's decisive second leg at San Siro…
gettyKane fluffs his lines
Kane hasn't scored in his last two games for Bayern, and we all know what the means: Kane is in crisis!
In fairness, he did have an off night against Inter and there's no getting away from the fact that he should have broken the deadlock when put in on goal by Michael Olise midway through the first half.
By Kane's standards, it was a shocking miss, with the No.9 striking the outside of the post with a shot that every single person inside the stadium – and watching at home on TV – fully expected him to bury.
Even Kane couldn't quite believe it as he dropped to his knees and put his hands over his face.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportThe 'C' word
Saturday's Bundesliga draw with Borussia Dortmund didn't go that much better for Kane either. If anything, he performed worse in Der Klassiker than the had against Inter.
The 31-year-old had six shots on goals in both games without scoring but didn't even managed to great a single chance for a team-mate against BVB, prompting predictable press criticism.
gave him four out of 10 for his efforts on Saturday, describing him in their ratings as "ineffective in front of goal", while ex-Bayern striker Nils Petersen brought up the 'C' word during his appearance on .
"He's having a bit of a crisis of form," the former Freiburg forward declared. "Because he hasn't been scoring in the last few weeks, he is thinking about things for a second longer and saying, 'Oh, I hope it goes in now.' Just that thought is difficult.
"He had some wonderful chances [against Dortmund] and also against Inter, so, with the quality that he has, a goal will come. But he just doesn't have it at the moment. Kane is simply having a bad spell."
Getty Images SportKane's still scoring goals
Every striker goes through dry patches, of course, and Kane's are shorter than most.
After all, we're talking about a player who's still managed to score five times in his last eight games in all competitions, including three goals in the Champions League last-16 rout of Bayer Leverkusen that saw him become the first Englishman to hit double figures in a single European Cup campaign.
Kane's also scored 34 goals in total this season. Only Robert Lewandowski has managed more – and the Barcelona striker has been involved in five more games than his successor at Bayern.
Of course, goals carry more weight at this stage of the season, particularly in the Champions League, and that's why last week's miss at the Allianz Arena came under such scrutiny.
Furthermore, Bayern are suffering from an injury crisis right now, so the last thing they need is their talisman in 'crisis' too.
AFPBayern's injury issues
The defence has been hit hard by the loss of legendary goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, left-back Alphonso Davies and centre-half Dayot Upamecano, but the most notable absentee is arguably Jamal Musiala, whose creativity, vision and dribbling skills are so integral to Bayern's attacking threat.
Indeed, the latter's unavailability is especially problematic for Kane, who rates Musiala as one of his most talented team-mates ever.
"He has some of the best individual attributes I've seen," he told just before Musiala suffered a hamstring injury that could sideline him for the rest of the season. "It's a pleasure to play with him, as he can be a complete game-changer."
Bayern have others, of course, including the similarly-skilled Olise, but it's clear that Kane isn't going to get quite the same quality or consistency of service without Musiala in the starting line-up, which means the need for him to make the most of the big chances that come his away has only intensified.
