Harry Kane’s only goal of the night was merely a consolation for FC Bayern, as they slumped to an embarrassing 4-1 defeat at the hands of a rejuvenated Barcelona team.
Hansi Flick’s men looked in supreme touch, with Raphinha scoring a hat-trick while former Bayern forward Robert Lewandowski scored a goal as well.
Speaking after the game, Harry Kane inadvertently offered Real Madrid a key piece of advice as to how Los Blancos should approach Barcelona, ahead of their Clasico this weekend.
Harry Kane’s hint to Real Madrid
Kane revealed that Barcelona’s aggressive pressing opened up spaces for Bayern, which they failed to exploit.
“Barça’s high pressure gave us opportunities, but we didn’t take advantage of them and they punished us in transitions,” Kane explained (h/t Diario AS), offering Real Madrid a glimpse into how they might capitalize on similar scenarios.
Kane’s observation is particularly important in the context of Real Madrid, who themselves are coming on the back of an impressive 5-2 victory over Borussia Dortmund.
Real Madrid will have to navigate Barcelona’s pressing game and find the balance between exploiting the spaces left behind and not being caught on the counter.
This is especially relevant for Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe, whose pace and ability to attack space will be vital in Madrid’s strategy to break through Barça’s defence.
The absence of Ronald Araujo, often dubbed the ‘Anti-Vini,’ presents an additional opportunity for Madrid.
Jules Kounde will step into the role of managing Vinicius, while Barcelona’s central defenders, Pau Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez, will focus on containing Mbappe.
The Dortmund game was a perfect case in point as to how Real Madrid can utilise their chance with utmost precision. Whether or not they can replicate the same level of precision against Barcelona this weekend remains to be seen.