There is room for improvement for Harry Kane in one crucial area despite the Bayern star enjoying the best season of his career, writes MATT BARLOW

The past clip Harry Kane reached this shape of nan Champions League he was injured and incapable to lend successful nan accustomed way.

With Tottenham trailing 3-0 connected aggregate astatine Ajax, Kane made his measurement down from his spot successful nan stands to nan dressing room to present a half-time pep talk.

Whether nan inspiration came from him aliases leader Mauricio Pochettino, who besides spoke, aliases neither of them, Lucas Moura responded pinch a chapeau trick.

Spurs went into nan last successful Madrid and Kane, aft 2 months out, declared himself fit. Moura went backmost to nan bench. Liverpool won 2-0.

Heartbreak for Tottenham who did not expect to triumph nan Champions League but were opening to wonderment if their sanction was connected nan cup.

It wasn't. It seldom is these days.

Five years on, Kane is still waits for nan awesome trophy cipher will begrudge him aft a decade of axenic excellence.

Ten successive seasons scoring 24 goals aliases much for his club.

This, his first astatine Bayern Munich, has been his champion successful position of goals. He has taken to life successful Germany, acquiring nan ratio of Gerd Muller and Karlheinz Rummenigge while deployed betwixt a brace of lightning speedy wingers.

Two goals successful a 2-1 triumph against Eintracht Frankfurt connected Saturday took him to 400 elder goals for nine and country, and to 42 for Bayern for nan season, beyond his erstwhile champion single-season nine haul of 41 for Spurs successful 2017/18.

That was arguably his finest Premier League campaign. The 1 successful which Pep Guardiola dubbed them The Harry Kane Team, overmuch to Pochettino's annoyance.

Kane's goals fired Tottenham to 3rd down nan 2 Manchester clubs contempt lodging astatine Wembley.

He was beaten to nan Golden Boot by Mo Salah, who besides won nan FWA Footballer of nan Year grant pinch Kane 3rd down Kevin De Bruyne but nan England skipper went connected to go apical scorer astatine nan World Cup successful Russia.

It still seems singular that he won neither nan Footballer of nan Year nor nan PFA Player of nan Year while scoring much Premier League goals than anyone isolated from Alan Shearer.

His reliability worked against him. Kane scoring again. What's new? Scoring again erstwhile each squad he plays against comes pinch a tailored scheme to extremity him. Goals pinch his head, connected nan volley, near ft and right, tap-ins and screamers. Self-belief ne'er wavering.

We person taken him for granted. As a domiciled exemplary and leader arsenic good arsenic a centre forward.

FWA members are firmly successful nan wont of voting for personification who won nan title. Seven of nan past 9 winners person travel from nan champions. Only Salah bucks nan inclination successful 2018 and 2022.

This year's victor will beryllium revealed this week. Kane cannot triumph because nan grant is restricted to those playing successful England, though Germany's type of nan aforesaid grant is unfastened to Germans playing overseas arsenic good arsenic anyone successful German football.

Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan won it past season.

To triumph Germany's Footballer of nan Year, Kane will person to hit nan heroes of Bayer Leverkusen who ended Bayern's 11 years of Bundesliga domination, still unbeaten pinch different 97th infinitesimal equaliser and successful pursuit of nan German Cup and nan Europa League.

Trophies will surely travel to Kane astatine Bayern contempt mishaps this season.

As pinch Teddy Sheringham, who near Spurs for Manchester United successful 1997 and won thing successful his first twelvemonth to nan amusement of those near down astatine White Hart Lane, and past picked up nan Treble successful his second.

Kane would for illustration to extremity nan hold and get his hands connected nan Champions League astatine Wembley successful June. That would warrant his determination to move to Munich connected a quest for awesome honours.

For Bayern, it would warrant nan £86million outlay, and they will expect him to lead them into nan necktie against Real Madrid though his grounds astatine nan crisp extremity of cup competitions is disappointing.

He grounded to people successful 3 finals for Spurs. In 8 semi-final games for them he scored twice, 1 of them a penalty. 

There was a victor for England successful their Euro 2020 semi-final against Denmark, erstwhile he converted nan rebound from different penalty.

For each his brilliance and expertise to power results, 3 goals successful 14 appearances successful semis and finals leaves room for improvement. 

What a clip to alteration that individual narrative. To lead his squad into a Wembley last up of nan Euros successful Germany. To tackle nan regret of 2019.

P.S. England still well-represented successful past four 

No English clubs successful nan past 4 of nan Champions League but 5 English players (Kane, Eric Dier, Jude Bellingham, Jadon Sancho and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens) is conscionable arsenic galore arsenic appeared astatine nan aforesaid shape past play (Kyle Walker, John Stones, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish and Fikayo Tomori).

Roma thriving successful post-Mourinho glow

Daniele de Rossi's Roma beforehand connected nan Europa League semi-finals pinch nan relish of a squad successful nan aureate afterglow of Jose Mourinho.

They person each nan champion habits of immoderate Mourinho side, good organised and ruthless, but pinch high-grade players freed from nan shackles of his tactical demands and his captious eye, and fans energised by nan return of a nine fable and much expansive football.

There are parallels to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer astatine Manchester United, surfing a post-Mourinho precocious pinch a abrupt deluge of goals and that nighttime successful Paris.

Time comes erstwhile this equilibrium shifts, and nan residual effects of a beardown coach fade, and nan relaxed temper becomes a problem alternatively than an advantage. 

The tricky portion for nan caller leader is recognising this infinitesimal erstwhile it arrives and dealing pinch it skilfully.

De Rossi seems to beryllium handling it well. The collision pinch Xabi Alonso's Leverkusen will beryllium 1 to savour.

Istanbul revisited successful Asian final

Asia's Champions League last comes pinch a hint of Istanbul. 

Harry Kewell's Yokohama F Marinos, of Japan and portion of nan City Football Group, against Hernan Crespo'sAin, not portion of nan City Group but retired of Abu Dhabi. 

Kewell and Crespo some started nan 2005 Champions League final, though some were disconnected by nan clip Liverpool won nan shootout against AC Milan.

Goals but nary glory

Golden Boot winners successful nan EFL person each emerged from nan little reaches of their leagues. 

Alfie May of Charlton won nan League One grant pinch 23 goals while finishing 16th. 

Macauley Langstaff scored 28 for Notts County, who vanished 14th successful League Two. 

Sammie Szmodics is clear successful nan Championship pinch 25 goals arsenic Blackburn languish successful 19th.

Farnham are nan Invincibles! 

Farnham Town, regulars successful this file for their exploits successful nan Combined Counties, person completed nan play unbeaten, beating Tooting and Mitcham connected Saturday, their 35th triumph of 38 games. 

Welsh champions TNS tin besides declare to beryllium Invincibles. Inspiration location for Alonso and Leverkusen.