05 March 2024 , 08:00
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Harry Kane must hate the ides of March about as much as Julius Caesar.
In Shakespeare’s play, a fortune-teller told the leader of the Roman Empire to beware of what might happen midway through the third month of the year. Or, in the case of England’s skipper, what might not.
Usually, when he was at Spurs, the accepted scenario at this stage of the season for the Three Lions’ greatest goalscorer was - obviously - the prospect of a battle for the Champions League, rather than the title.
Usually any involvement in a cup competition would be over, too. Yep, Kane’s campaign would routinely be finished before Easter. He had hoped that by switching to the Bundesliga’s most-decorated, famous and grandest club - Bayern Munich - that the script would be re-written.
That he would be in the running for the biggest prizes. That would be able to plonk a couple of medals on the sideboard to go along with all the individual accolades that have showered down upon him in his relentless pursuit of hitting the net.
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But as the Bavarians consider their return leg in the last 16 of the Champions League against Lazio tonight - one goal behind the Roman side - Kane finds himself in a familiar position.
A ten-point gap to leaders Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga has all but ended the race to the finishing line with Xabi Alonso’s side needing to fall, Devon Loch-style, with only 10 games remaining.
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Though Kane has scored plenty of goals, Bayern's team has regressed this yearDefeat to Saarbrucken last November has ruled out the possibility of any success in a domestic cup competition, leaving Kane with a nagging sense of deja vu. The 90-minute test in the Allianz Arena will either ensure that the flame of success still flickers - or whether that will be it for another year on a domestic front.
That would be a shame for Kane, who turns 31 later this year, as his move from north London has been, an unqualified success, if judged by the number of times he has forced the ball into the old onion bag.
It’s unlikely he will top Robert Lewandowski’s 41 goal-haul to break a record in his inaugural season with die Roten but with 27 to his credit after only 24 games, it only takes one hat-trick to change that dynamic.
And he’s clearly not lost his touch in front of goal. Against Leipzig ten days ago, Kane stole the show with two finishes of exquisite quality. He’s doing exactly what it says on the tin. Exactly what the Bavarians hoped - scoring goals.
But while Kane’s star rises, it appears that others around him fail. As a result, talk of the hoodoo that has surrounded him since every team he plays for is unable to take the final step and get their hold on silverware, just turns up the pressure that little bit more.
Not for the first time, Harry Kane’s season stands at a crossroads in March. What’s different is that he’s taken the gamble to change his fortunes - whether they will he will find out in the next 36 hours.
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