Kane And Bayern Lay Down Ominous Title Marker As Ten Hag Suffers Shock Defeat | Andy Brassell

Remember erstwhile Harry Kane ne'er scoring successful August was a curio that felt for illustration it needed an exorcism? Nobody successful Germany remembers, and an era erstwhile Bayern Munich’s centre-forward seemed moreover vaguely stoppable seems for illustration a very agelong clip ago. The optics of his imperious second-half hat-trick successful this opening crippled were very welcome, peculiarly successful nan ray of nan Bundesliga’s groundbreaking caller TV woody which meant viewers successful nan England captain’s location state could spot Kane do his point connected nan BBC aliases connected a prime of 2 different YouTube platforms.

Yet nan singular point astir Bayern’s first-night salvo is that they still would person destroyed RB Leipzig, 1 of their much challenging home hurdles of caller years, had Kane not showed up to nan party. It was nan dictionary meaning of ruthlessness but Ole Werner, nan caller Leipzig coach, could person done thing successful his half-time squad talk to alteration nan people of events. By nan interval, Michael Olise’s double and a superb Luis Díaz debut onslaught successful betwixt already had Bayern location and hosed. Kane’s publication was simply other pick and cherry if you were Bayern, aliases brackish if you were Leipzig.

Technically nan visitors mightiness person had origin for complaint, pinch Antonio Nusa’s thunderous second-half onslaught disallowed; rightly, because Castello Lukeba had taken respective touches alternatively than passing from a free-kick grant straight earlier but wrongly, because nan officials were only alerted by Joshua Kimmich’s “unusually beardown protests” (per a DFB statement), making it an lawsuit of VAR moving extracurricular its agreed remits.

With that said, Leipzig would look ridiculous if they were to protest. And who would want a replay of this nightmare? Werner is marshalling a important rebuild and successful that consciousness nan timing of this travel to Munich was cruel, for illustration taking an exam having had 10 minutes to revise. It would beryllium unfair to judge nan caller coach aliases his squad connected this but rivalling Bayern will not beryllium their occupation this season. Their job, and Werner’s, is to hide this and move on. Bayern were simply magnificent, moreover without Jamal Musiala to telephone on. Olise was scintillating, untouchable, and Vincent Kompany made a constituent of praising Serge Gnabry, often linked pinch a move distant but renewed present arsenic Musiala’s locum. “When we went into nan locker room astatine half-time,” added Kimmich, “I already told him that he was playing exceptionally well.”

The remainder of nan opening play gave nary denotation that anyone – astatine slightest for now – could do what Werner’s broadside grounded to do and astatine slightest make Bayern uncomfortable. Bayer Leverkusen were, perhaps, nan weekend’s biggest losers for Erik 10 Hag’s first Bundesliga crippled astatine nan helm aft a astonishment 2-1 conclusion astatine location by unfancied Hoffenheim. “A crippled successful which not everything was bad, but decidedly not overmuch was bully either,” successful nan words of their recently arrived goalkeeper Mark Flekken.

Leverkusen took an early lead done Jarell Quansah but they ne'er looked comfortable, and nan visitors equalised erstwhile Quansah deflected Fisnik Asllani’s changeable past Flekken and into his ain net. Tim Lemperle deed nan second-half winner, having deed a station wrong 2 minutes, and Ten Hag’s squad seldom looked for illustration creating thing extracurricular of group pieces – Quansah’s opener had been headed successful from an Álex Grimaldo free-kick.

Fisnik Asllani (left) battles pinch Edmond Tapsoba during Hoffenheim’s triumph complete Bayer Leverkusen. Photograph: Rene Nijhuis/MB Media/Getty Images

If nan starting lineup didn’t look excessively unfamiliar, pinch Flekken and Quansah 2 of only 3 caller signings starting, nan drop-off successful value is clear, pinch only Patrik Schick, Edmond Tapsoba and Piero Hincapié (with nan second coveted by Arsenal) regular starters successful nan backmost half of past season. Die Werkself’s celebrated punch from nan chair is nary much either, pinch caller boy Ernest Poku nan only non-teenager of nan outfield substitutes. Ten Hag needs a productive past week of nan transportation window.

The model has been frustrating for Borussia Dortmund too, but not arsenic frustrating arsenic their Saturday opener astatine St Pauli. BVB, pursuing connected from their sensational run-in to snatch a Champions League spot past season, were striding towards a triumph arsenic they led 3-1 pinch 5 minutes of normal clip to go, contempt Serhou Guirassy missing a punishment aft his headed opener. Then protect debutant Filippo Mané was shown a reddish paper for holding backmost Abdoulie Ceesay arsenic he prepared to sprout and Danel Sinani scored nan resulting punishment earlier Eric Smith scored his now-customary piledriver against Dortmund to necktie it up. “This shouldn’t hap to a apical team,” chided Niko Kovac, and he wasn’t nan only unhappy one.

On Jobe Bellingham’s Bundesliga debut he was substituted astatine half-time, pinch his parents, Mark and Denise, coming done to talk to Sebastian Kehl aft afloat time. Bild reported that Bellingham’s begetter gave nan sporting head his views connected nan move and Dortmund’s performance. It was clear Kehl had been blindsided. “We are each disappointed pinch nan result,” he said, “but nan [changing rooms and area astir them] is and remains reserved for players, coaches and management, not families and advisers. That won’t hap again. We person intelligibly informed everyone progressive of this.” Jobe’s presence is simply a trial for Dortmund. Can they still create elite talent having wandered from that arsenic their modus operandi? The hostility astir nan nine – pinch goalscorer Julian Brandt talking astir taking bad habits of caller times “with america into nan caller season” – intends a beardown lead from Kovac and Kehl is important to get this play connected nan correct road.

Not everything is cleanable astatine Bayern; aft Kane’s post-Super Cup comments that nan squad “is a spot light” Max Eberl is expected to spell backmost to nan committee coming and inquire for further funds, pinch different guardant a priority. This is pinch nan agelong crippled and nan rigours of a agelong run successful mind because for now, location is nary rubbing for Bayern. For nan remainder of nan Bundesliga, September can’t travel soon enough.

Talking points

If anyone looks fresh to challenge, it’s nan young bucks of Eintracht Frankfurt. Making ray of Hugo Ekitiké’s exit, they hammered Werder Bremen 4-1 pinch 19-year-old Can Uzun (a sensational opening extremity and 2 assists) and 20-year-old Jean-Mattéo Bahoya (two goals) starring nan way. No prizes for spotting their adjacent €80m-plus sales.

The return of Hamburg aft 7 years distant (in nan play HSV went down Schalke were runners-up successful nan Bundesliga and Pep Guardiola won his first Premier League title pinch Manchester City, to springiness you immoderate thought of really overmuch has happened since) was encouraging arsenic they took a goalless tie astatine Borussia Mönchengladbach. “It tin only get better,” grumped nan Gladbach captain, Rocco Reitz.

In truth some promoted teams – successful what is nan rarest of occurrences successful nan modern European crippled – kept a cleanable expanse connected opening day, pinch Köln taking each 3 points via Marius Bülter’s precocious headed victor astatine past season’s astonishment squad Mainz. The existent head-turner, though, was Effzeh’s caller coach, Lukas Kwasniok, who wore nan team’s location garment connected nan touchline. “I saw nan jersey position astatine a sponsors’ evening and sewage goosebumps,” he said. “Then nan determination was clear to me. I’d do it, if I was allowed to” (note; he was, arsenic Köln were wearing their achromatic and golden distant strip, pinch Kwasniok expected to move to that to debar a conflict erstwhile they play astatine location against Freiburg adjacent week).

Lukas Kwasniok: Köln’s full-kit manager. Photograph: Heiko Becker/Reuters