How Harry Kane and Bayern Munich made each other better - ESPN

Are Tottenham Hotspur better without Harry Kane?

In the most literal sense: yes, they are. Last year, Tottenham averaged 1.6 points per game. This season, Tottenham are averaging 2.6 points per game. Harry Kane played for Tottenham last season. This season, Harry Kane plays for Bayern Munich. Without Harry Kane, Tottenham are better. This is objectively true.

It's also absurd. Tottenham are not better because they're without Harry Kane. In nine Bundesliga starts so far this season, Kane has scored 12 goals and added five assists. Those 17 goal contributions are more than Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappé… and every other player in Europe's Big Five leagues. Strip out the three penalties, and still: no one has contributed to more goals. Only Stuttgart's Serhou Guirassy can match Kane's output.

It's pretty simple. The whole point of soccer is to create more goals than the other team, and Kane has created more goals than anyone else in Europe. Every team would be better with Harry Kane.

Ahead of Saturday's Der Klassiker against Borussia Dortmund — stream LIVE, Saturday, 1 p.m. ET on ESPN+ — let's take a look at how he's made Bayern Munich better, and how they've done the same to him. Here's why Harry Kane could be the difference on Saturday.

Back to that idea of keeping things simple. Last season, Bayern Munich were one of the best teams in the world. Their Champions League tie with Manchester City wasn't as lopsided as it looked, and although they needed Dortmund to trip right before the finish line in order to secure their 10th-straight league title, they were still quite clearly the best team in the league. Their non-penalty goal differential was plus-60 — Dortmund were second on plus-36 — and their non-penalty expected