Cologne boss Steffen Baumgart on Harry Kane: "I don't think there's been a striker with his rate since the Bundesliga existed"; watch Cologne vs Bayern Munich live for free on the Sky Sports App and Sky Sports Mix on Friday from 7.20pm; kick-off 7.30pm
Friday 24 November 2023 19:23, UK
A gloom has taken hold across Germany. This was supposed to be Die Mannschaft's rebuild year ahead of hosting the European Championship. But the team is a wreck.
While the inquest continues into the struggles of the national team, the Bundesliga is in rude health thanks in large part to the blistering start of one man.
Cologne boss Steffen Baumgart has heaped praise on Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane ahead of their encounter on Friday, live for free on the Sky Sports App, and also on Sky Sports Mix.
Baumgart's side face a tough test at home against the Bundesliga's top scorer, who has already amassed 17 goals in his last 11 games since his summer move from Tottenham.
If Kane can continue his sensational form, some are predicting he could break Robert Lewandowski's record of 41 goals in a single Bundesliga season.
If the England captain carries on the way he has started, he is on course to hit 50 goals.
Baumgart told reporters: "He's been phenomenal. I think everyone has observed that since he's been here and I don't think there's been a striker with his rate since the Bundesliga existed.
"It's extraordinary the confidence he exudes too. We can discuss how much he's on the ball, and how much he is not, but when he is there is no doubt that he can do damage.
"He's an absolute asset for the league and it's nice that we have him here. Unfortunately it's not fun for the other sides!"
Kane arrived in Germany on a record-breaking transfer and his sensational goal-scoring run this season has already exceeded expectations and turned him into an instant fan favourite.
The German champions were desperate to bring in a tested scorer to fill the goal-scoring gap created by last year's departure of Lewandowski to Barcelona.
Baumgart added: "He's absolutely world class. We had the same situation a month or two ago when [Serhou] Guirassy came here to Cologne. I think the strategy will be similar, although they're maybe different types of player.
"Kane probably gets a bit more involved in the play than [Robert] Lewandowski used to at Bayern. An incredibly strong finisher in the penalty area, absolutely top-class, but no one can stop him alone. A few of the others around him are pretty good players too, so it's about containing them as a whole defensive unit."
Kane, the England team's top scorer and the Premier League's second all-time scorer, hit the ground running and has already bagged 21 goals in 15 matches in the Bundesliga and Champions League for Bayern.
"It is impressive," beamed Bayern sports director Christoph Freund after Saturday's double in their 4-2 victory over Heidenheim.
"He is playing away from the UK for the first time and then he scores like that. The team also plays him into position. He is a phenomenon."
Kane's two goals took his league tally to 17 from 11 games, setting a league record for most goals at this stage, beating Lewandowski's previous mark of 16.
Kane already has more goals after 11 Bundesliga matches than last season's top scorers had in the entire campaign.
"I cannot tell you anything different," Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel said of Kane's scoring run. "The performances are telling a story. There is no need for any words."
Marie-Louise Eta is set to become the first female assistant coach in the 60-year history of the Bundesliga when Union Berlin play on Saturday.
Union appointed Eta as assistant to interim coach Marco Grote following their dismissal of the popular Urs Fischer during the international break.
Fischer led the team to unprecedented success over five years, but Union are last in the Bundesliga this season after nine consecutive defeats.
Grote and Eta were promoted from Union's Under-19 team, who were third in both the domestic league and UEFA Youth League competitions before the senior team came calling. Their first game in charge is the home match against Augsburg, who are unbeaten in four games.
Despite the fact Eta will be the first female member of a coaching staff in the league since the Bundesliga was formed in 1963, Union - as a club - only want to focus on its precarious sporting situation.
"It's not a conscious decision for a woman. I think that almost discredits this decision," Union president Dirk Zingler said of Eta's appointment. "For me she is a fully qualified soccer coach and that's exactly how I see her, whether it's a woman or a man.
"This decision was not a question for a woman, but a decision for a soccer coach who works with the team."
Watch Cologne vs Bayern Munich, live on Sky Sports Mix on Friday from 7.20pm; kick-off 7.30pm
