Mats Hummels criticised one aspect of the way Harry Kane plays before Bayern Munich's Champions League match at Atletico Madrid on Tuesday evening while working as a TV pundit for Prime Video. He said Kane has been dropping deep particularly often this season and that he would like the striker to be in the box more often.
Pre-match criticism
Hummels said: "I think we're going through a phase where he's playing as a centre-forward a little too little. I'd like him to be in the box a bit more again."
He also said: "He hasn't had many chances to score because he isn't right at the tip of the attack. Maybe that's because he's spending a lot of time roaming around midfield."
The 37-year-old said: "He does it brilliantly, like hardly anyone else."
Hummels added: "As a fan of a centre-forward of his quality, with his finishing ability, I'd like to see him in the box more often again. And perhaps that's because he hasn't quite had his usual confidence when finishing."
Half-time remarks
At half-time in the match at Atletico, Hummels expanded on his criticism of Kane. He said: "He likes to roam in the left half-space; it's essentially the number nine dropping deep. He takes up a bit of the Toni Kroos position for a centre-forward."
Hummels said he wanted Kane to be "a tiny bit more in the box".
He added: "Then he'd have a few more chances in the game. And then I'd be happy again too, which will surely be incredibly important to him."
Effect on team-mates
Hummels said: "Lennart Karl very often has two or three players right on top of him because Atletico's centre-backs can defend aggressively by stepping forward, as Harry Kane is often not in the box when crosses come in."
Small criticism and GOAL figures
Hummels said: "That's only a small criticism, because he really is a world-class striker."
GOAL reported that Kane scored 61 goals in 51 competitive appearances in 2025/26 and has ten in 14 so far in 2026/27. GOAL reported that Kane has already provided eight assists this season, compared with seven throughout the whole of last season.
