Mats Hummels Urges Harry Kane to Spend More Time in the Box
World Cup winner Mats Hummels has praised Harry Kane’s all-round influence at Bayern Munich but believes the prolific striker could become an even greater goal threat by staying closer to the penalty area. Speaking as a Prime Video pundit before Bayern’s Champions League meeting with Atlético Madrid, Hummels suggested Kane has been dropping into midfield too frequently this season.
Hummels’ comments point to a familiar tactical question in modern football: should a centre-forward come deep to help create chances, or remain high to finish them? Kane is exceptional at both jobs, but the former Germany defender believes Bayern may benefit if their No. 9 spends more time in the positions where his finishing can have the biggest impact.
Hummels’ Tactical Concern: Kane Is Dropping Too Deep
“I think we’re going through a phase where he’s playing as a centre-forward a little too little,” Hummels said ahead of the European fixture. “I’d like him to be in the box a bit more again.”
Kane has often moved away from the front line this season, operating as a playmaker from the No. 10 position or drifting into deeper areas to help Bayern progress the ball. That movement allows him to link midfield with attack, find teammates between the lines and create opportunities. However, it can also leave the penalty area without its most dangerous finisher when crosses and cutbacks arrive.
Hummels believes Kane’s positioning may help explain why he has had fewer scoring opportunities than usual. “He hasn’t had many chances to score because he isn’t right at the tip of the attack,” he said, adding that Kane’s frequent involvement in midfield could be a factor.
More assists, fewer goals than last season
Kane’s numbers reflect a shift in the balance of his contribution. He scored 61 goals in 51 competitive appearances during the 2025/26 campaign, an extraordinary return that made him one of Europe’s most feared strikers. In the early part of the 2026/27 season, he has scored 10 goals in 14 appearances.
That remains a strong scoring record, but it is below the remarkable pace he set last season. At the same time, Kane’s creative output has increased: he has already recorded eight assists this campaign, compared with seven across the entirety of the previous season. The figures suggest he is contributing more as a provider, even as his goal tally has slowed.
Those statistics do not, by themselves, prove that Kane’s deeper role is the reason for the change. Finishing form, the quality and volume of chances, opponents’ defensive approaches and Bayern’s tactical setup can all affect a striker’s output. Still, Hummels’ observation highlights a potential trade-off: Kane’s movement can improve Bayern’s build-up, but it may reduce the number of chances he receives in the box.
A World-Class Striker with a Playmaker’s instincts
Hummels was careful to make clear that his comments were a minor tactical criticism, not a rejection of Kane’s overall performance. He described the England captain as a player who carries out the deeper role “brilliantly, like hardly anyone else.” His concern is that a striker with Kane’s finishing ability should be positioned to use it as often as possible.
“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,” Hummels said. He also suggested Kane may not have had his usual confidence in front of goal during the current spell. A return to familiar scoring positions, he implied, could help the striker reconnect with the sharpness that defined his previous campaign.
Kane’s record at Bayern gives context to that expectation. Since joining the club from Tottenham Hotspur in 2023, he has scored 156 goals in 161 matches. He has also been awarded the Ballon d’Or following his outstanding previous season, underlining how high the standards around his performances have become.
Hummels compares Kane’s movement to Toni Kroos
At half-time in the Atlético match, Hummels expanded on his analysis, describing how Kane was occupying space in the left half-space. He likened the movement to a centre-forward dropping into an area associated with former Germany and Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos.
The comparison was not about Kane playing the same role as Kroos. Rather, Hummels was highlighting how far the striker can move from the penalty area to influence possession and distribution. Kane’s passing range and awareness make him well suited to that task, but Hummels argued that even a slight adjustment could make a difference.
“A tiny bit more in the box” could give Kane additional chances, he suggested. That small change might also make Bayern’s attacking patterns more difficult to defend: opponents would have to account for Kane as a direct scoring threat while still dealing with his ability to drop deep and create.
How Kane’s positioning affects Bayern’s other attackers
Hummels also pointed to the impact Kane’s movement can have on his teammates. He noted that Lennart Karl was frequently surrounded by two or three Atlético players, in part because the Spanish side’s centre-backs could step forward aggressively when Kane was not occupying the central area.
When a striker stays high, opposing defenders may be forced to remain deeper or closely track his runs. That can create more room for attacking midfielders and wide players to receive the ball. If the striker drops away, defenders may have greater freedom to press Bayern’s other forwards and challenge them in crowded spaces.
There is, however, no single ideal position for Kane in every phase of a match. His ability to connect play is one of Bayern’s major strengths, and keeping him involved outside the box can help the team build attacks. The challenge for the coaching staff is to balance that creative influence with the need for a reliable presence in front of goal.
What Hummels’ prediction means for Bayern
Hummels’ prediction is not that Kane’s deeper role should disappear altogether. Instead, his comments suggest Bayern could benefit from more variation: Kane can drop back to help create, then move quickly into the area as an attack develops. That would preserve his playmaking contribution while increasing the chance that he is available to finish crosses, rebounds and cutbacks.
For Bayern supporters, the key question is whether Kane’s recent assist numbers signal a deliberate tactical evolution or simply a temporary phase in his positioning. If he continues creating at a high level while returning to the box more often, Bayern could gain the best of both worlds. Hummels’ final assessment was clear: the criticism is small, because Kane remains “a world-class striker.”
