Harry Kane REACTS to FC Bayern in German Cup SEMIFINAL A stress free win Ale Moreno ESPN FC

Bayern Munich with a 2-0 win over Leipzig. As mentioned, Archie Winthout and Thomas Hitzelsperger were pitch-side for us tonight. So Bayern getting it done in the Focal, which we don't get to say too often, Archie. OK, for the first time in six years, they are through to the semi-finals. Thomas, how did you see it? Well, first of all, it's only two goals, because I think Leipzig, they would be quite happy to have conceded two goals. But I had hoped they would risk more, because going into this game, you have to win in order to progress. Ole Werner is probably happy about the first half performance. They didn't get stretched, but in the second half, it was more like we've seen before, Bayern dominating and really exposing Leipzig in those moments when they had to. Just when it comes to that second goal, because I counted eight different players involved over the course of just 20 seconds and being able to the fact that they're able to move it forward so quickly. What did you make of that? I was impressed. Like I said, this was the one moment when Leipzig were stretched and Bayern really made use of that. It started with a pass from Gnabry. Stanislaus left his position and the rest, you know, Diaz again finishing it off. Everything was to perfection. And this is what we've seen so often this season from Bayern. And I think that was the moment when the game was over. OK, sending it back to you for now. We're going to have some post-match reaction very shortly. Yes, very much looking forward to that as well. So what are we taking away then from today with Bayern after this is another win that they've had at the weekend after they had been dropping points in the Bundesliga? Yeah, it's it's more of the same for Bayern Munich. The surprise would have been if somehow Leipzig had been able to sustain the level of play that it had in the first 15 minutes. And that just was never going to happen. It was going to be impossible for them to maintain that level of pressure higher in the field that they were going to be willing to take chances to go forward. And I think it's a point that Thomas was making there in a one off. If you're Leipzig, what what do you have to lose? What do you have to lose? There's an opportunity here to advance, to go win a title and it's the only title you're going to win this year. So why not take more chances, particularly when you started the game so well? Instead, they went into a far more conservative approach that allowed Bayern Munich to settle the game down. It allowed Bayern Munich to just start keeping possession of the ball. Hammering away with that possession. Eventually, Leipzig is back and further back and further back and further back and further back. And and Bayern Munich has too many players in the attack, too many talented players in the attack to just allow them time and space to be able to go and create now. Funny enough, their goals come when Leipzig actually went on the attack. You think about the positioning of Stanisic and how he gets him behind for the first goal. What was the penalty kick? It comes from a set piece by Leipzig where they could have scored the second goal. They had committed themselves to the attack. They played the ball out wide to Alisson. Rizzias takes a beautiful position and there's space in behind. So I suppose if I were to take something out of this game, if I'm Bayern Munich is when we're able to defend and we complete that first pass out of pressure, we are so good in transition if we can find that first pass forward. And they did that today in a couple of occasions. And that'll be in a couple of goals. But Leverkusen, Stuttgart, Freiburg and Bayern now, the final four that we're looking at here. You wonder if when you look at Bayern in these recent ones where they've had the stumbles, where they've had it early on in these games, if they've not been able to get up for it, they've got to get up for these games. They're at the semi-final stage now. They must be the biggest favourites. Right. And and that would have been the concern for me coming into today if they had been playing somebody like Saarbrücken. Right. Something like that. That Bayern are just looking down on them. Because Bayern Munich has had the struggles that they have had, and we call it struggles. It's not like this is a team that that hasn't been getting results. It's just that they haven't been playing at the same level that they did early in the season, where they were literally perfect. That hasn't happened as of late. And because they have had those, quote unquote, struggles, they would have paid attention to this game. And it goes back to the fact that in the past they have lost to Holstein Kiel and they have lost to Saarbrücken and they have lost to other teams in this competition. And it has become, I think, a point of emphasis for Vincent Kompany, his staff, the players in the club to say, we have to win this competition. And as I mentioned in the pregame, when you have Bayern Munich, full attention, full focus, there's just nobody better than them in German football. There just isn't. And so they are their own standard. And so when they play to their own standard, other teams are barely hanging on. Who did you like today for Bayern? I think Stanisic, his willingness to run in behind is something that gives this team an outlet. It's not always the best defender. In fact, as a defender, Conrad Leimer is probably a better option. And it's going to be interesting to see what decision Vincent Kompany does going forward. Leimer seemed to have had that position under control. He got injured. Now, Stanisic has come in and has done a job. I think Leimer eventually will come back to the starting lineup. But Stanisic gives this team something down the right. And of course, Luis Diaz, we mentioned it in the pregame. We mentioned it in the weekend. His level of activity and and how he's able to appear in different spaces makes it so difficult to defend. Today was another good example of that. Who really stands out when it's everybody? I think so. I mean, it's easier when you go to Leipzig team. Giomandi is the one player that stands out. He's on a different level. When you talk about the Bayern team, I think it was an all round good team performance. Everybody played their part, but nobody stood out in particular. And I guess, you know, Vincent Kompany will be pleased with this. It's not a game they will remember for a long time. But it doesn't matter. They are through to the semifinal. And it's down to every single player to perform tonight. And when it comes to important games as well, these are the kind of performances that you need to continually go far in cup football, whether it's in the DFB Cup, whether it's in the Champions League as well and at Bayern as well. You just always want to keep relieving the pressure. And you know what this tinderbox of an atmosphere is like here for them to push this down the road until April. Like Vincent Kompany doesn't need to buy time at all. The most important games for them coming up. Dortmund at the end of the month. And then as well, you're going to have the Champions League next round after that. So the way things are going, I couldn't imagine previous coaches getting this kind of performance out of out of their buy inside in recent years. Well, I'm not going to go back too far. Talk about two of our coaches. But yes, I agree with you. Vincent Kompany is clearly doing a phenomenal job. The fans here, they enjoy what they're seeing. And this to me is almost a perfect season up until now. But we all know at the end of the season, that's when everybody's being judged. Are they going to get far in the Champions League? Are they going to win the DFB Cup and the Bundesliga? But at the moment, they're in a very, very good position. And just how much this team is harmonizing as well when it comes to just. Yeah, I really can't get that move for the second goal. I love a good team goal. But I think this is a big, big difference. You just mentioned previous managers. When Vincent Kompany talk about his team, he's talking about personalities, the way they interact with each other. In the past, we always talked about formations, changed him during the game. And it was less about the players as, let's say, human beings. It was about the coach. How many different formations can he play? Vincent Kompany talks about the players. He doesn't change the formation that much. He changes players, but they all perform. And also having the next seven games being in 32 days, that helps. Here is Harry Kane. Hello, Harry. So let me get you a mic. There we go. So 2-0, one of the biggest games of the season so far. How did you see it go over? What value and significance do you put on the win? Yeah, really big win. Any quarterfinal you play is going to be high pressure. You're going to have to step up in the moment. And I thought we'd done that today. I thought first half the game was a little bit more open. I feel like we had some good chances. Their keeper made some good saves. Second half defensively, I thought we looked really solid. We played nicely on the ball and took our moments when they came. So overall, a really professional performance and great to be in the semifinal. What's the secret? You know, it seems like you've had the club work up in the summer. It's a tough season and yet there is no real dip in form. Why is that? Yeah, I think that's credit to the boys and credit to the staff, the way they prepare us and also the way we train. We spoke early in the season about getting to this stage, getting to February, getting to March, having a footy fit squad, having a healthy squad, competition for places. And that's what you're seeing. I feel like we're pushing each other each day, every training session we have, and the level is getting higher and higher. So we obviously know there's still a long way to go, but we're in all the competitions we need to be right now and obviously some big games ahead and some big months ahead. For the second goal, you work it from back to front. Eight of the 11 players touched the ball. You weren't one of them on this rare occasion. But what does that say as well for how everything is harmonizing together right now? Yeah, I think and even to be honest, the way we finished the game out as well, you know, 2-0 is still kind of a tight score line. But the last kind of 10 minutes, we completely dominated the ball and we took the game away from them. And that's down to us, the way we move, the way we help each other to make angles and keep possession. And that's how we scored the second goal. You know, a fantastic goal, a great ball by Michael and, you know, a really tidy finish from Lucho. So, yeah, we all feel a part of it. No matter, we defend together, we attack together and we enjoy doing those moments. As you take another step closer to a trophy, I have to ask on behalf of some of the fans, where is the cockatoo? It's somewhere. Dengsi will have it somewhere. He keeps it safe. So hopefully we'll see that out again. And just finally, I don't think we can take the penalty taking ability for granted. When I watch back the slow motion replay, do you make the decision to put it in the corner as you look at the goalkeeper? Or have you made that before you've run up? Yeah, I think on this occasion, obviously with the starter step, I'm more looking at the keeper to see if he moves, to see if his body weight is going one way. And yeah, he kind of moved a little bit early. And once he kind of leant that way, it was hard for him to go back the other way. So I decided in that moment. So obviously I have the two penalties. I know, yeah, I've said before, sometimes I make them look easy, but there's still a high pressure moment. It's a big, big moment in the game. You have to be able to step up and handle that. And, you know, the way I practice is to give myself those best opportunities. And it's nice to see another one going today. Perfect. Harry, thank you very much for your time. Cheers. Wrong way round. OK, back to you. Thank you. Thank you so much, guys. Good to see you from Harry Kane as well. Once again, on target, on the spot, never in doubt. Never in doubt, as this game was never really in doubt after the first few minutes. It was a stress free, I think, quarterfinal. And I know Harry Kane just mentioned that it was a high pressure moment. It was for a little while. But once they score and then it quickly became to, it became stress free because of their quality on the ball. He mentioned it, I said it as well earlier on, professional performance. It just felt that it was only a matter of time. And if there was going to be one winner, it was always going to be Bayern Munich. And I like it felt like we've been doing a lot of focal action for you in recent years. And we've not been talking about Bayern, but for the semifinals, we absolutely will be the teams that have booked their spot. Leverkusen, Stuttgart, Freiburg, who advanced on penalties. And now Bayern Munich will be joining them. The semifinal draw will take place on February 22nd. And of course, we will continue to see out the Pokal for you. Does it matter at this stage who Bayern gets? Not really. Should I tell you in German? Yes, please. Nein? No, it doesn't matter. I thought you were going to say a whole phrase there of like some draw rules or something in German. I don't quite have that in my game. OK, but I may bring it in the next round. OK, lovely stuff. I think we can end that. OK, thank you so much for being with us, for our coverage of the Pokal. It was a 2-0 win for Bayern Munich in the end. Vincent Kompany has got to be happy with that. Don't forget. Less is more, OK? Less is more. Less is more. That is true.