Harry Kane | Bayern Munich player

[strongwalker]

So fascinating to meet someone, who knows my thoughts better than I do myself. Dim or not, learning to speak German well seems to take a lot of dedication for most people and I don't see why a footballer in his 30s, who at this point has to assume he will only stay for three or four years, would have that kind of dedication, when he can have a much easier time in the short term just speaking English.

We had good foreign players over the years, some learned little German or were super slow. Heck even some coaches did never learn much (Trappatoni for one; and I wonder how Ancelottis German is


For some like Hernandez, Luca Toni or Ribery it didn't affect their performance or team integration. Ribery being a good example, as long as he thought we were his stepping stone to climb to Real, he learned no German at all. Over time his German is ok now and the question is anyway, what he is a fast learner in, except football (according to my french colleagues, his french language skills are mediocre as well he took Munich as his residence now, as did some others, like Sagnol, Elber. even Pep learned some German and still owns an Appartment in town.

Given that any top level team is a melting pot of nationalities, and players sometimes stay for only one year or two so what do you expect. Tuchel has worked in France and England, I imagine it is not a big deal. Coaching will sound quite babylonic anyway.

 

[Red the Bear]

We had good foreign players over the years, some learned little German or were super slow. Heck even some coaches did never learn much (Trappatoni for one; and I wonder how Ancelottis German is


For some like Hernandez, Luca Toni or Ribery it didn't affect their performance or team integration. Ribery being a good example, as long as he thought we were his stepping stone to climb to Real, he learned no German at all. Over time his German is ok now and the question is anyway, what he is a fast learner in, except football (according to my french colleagues, his french language skills are mediocre as well he took Munich as his residence now, as did some others, like Sagnol, Elber. even Pep learned some German and still owns an Appartment in town.

Given that any top level team is a melting pot of nationalities, and players sometimes stay for only one year or two so what do you expect. Tuchel has worked in France and England, I imagine it is not a big deal. Coaching will sound quite babylonic anyway.

Didn't trappatoni learn at least some German? Wasn't his infamous rant delivered in a mix of broken Italian and German?

 

[do.ob]

We had good foreign players over the years, some learned little German or were super slow. Heck even some coaches did never learn much (Trappatoni for one; and I wonder how Ancelottis German is


For some like Hernandez, Luca Toni or Ribery it didn't affect their performance or team integration. Ribery being a good example, as long as he thought we were his stepping stone to climb to Real, he learned no German at all. Over time his German is ok now and the question is anyway, what he is a fast learner in, except football (according to my french colleagues, his french language skills are mediocre as well he took Munich as his residence now, as did some others, like Sagnol, Elber. even Pep learned some German and still owns an Appartment in town.

Given that any top level team is a melting pot of nationalities, and players sometimes stay for only one year or two so what do you expect. Tuchel has worked in France and England, I imagine it is not a big deal. Coaching will sound quite babylonic anyway.

I don't think it will matter at all for his sporting success, I was just responding to someone, who brought it up.

 

[stefan92]

Didn't trappatoni learn at least some German? Wasn't his infamous rant delivered in a mix of broken Italian and German?

It was totally in German, but quite broken. He could speak it, but not very good, especially not in that emotional state, but it was clearly understandable - big part of why it became so iconic is that he just slightly misused a lot of expressions.

 

[Harry190]

Where has this information come from?

Jokes aside, if it's trophies he wants he'd be wasting his remaining years coming here.

The players on the National squad were talking about it openly.

 

[Red the Bear]

It was totally in German, but quite broken. He could speak it, but not very good, especially not in that emotional state, but it was clearly understandable - big part of why it became so iconic is that he just slightly misused a lot of expressions.

Yeah I thought so too, remember it being in german.
The whole thing was quite bizarre and a sight to be seen but again as you said he spoke it completely in German so a bit harsh to use that as an example of a coach being unable to learn the language.

 

[strongwalker]

Yeah I thought so too, remember it being in german.
The whole thing was quite bizarre and a sight to be seen but again as you said he spoke it completely in German so a bit harsh to use that as an example of a coach being unable to learn the language.

He clearly was emotional in that situation which may have affected him but this was pidgin german at best to the point of being unreadable. If you disagree tell me your take: was he criticising Scholl or not?
Notably that press conference took place in 1998 he had spent 2 seasons in germany before. Not everyone is Xabi but Alonso could discuss Schopenhauer affer being half a year here i've worked with albanianand kosovarian bricklayers with 4 years of basic school education, who had similar command of the language after being in country for 3 months.

I wasnt indicating his coaching was affecfed by it. I dont think so. Football has an universal language. I played in a pub team for many years. at our weekly session everyone was welcome to join, and as our ground was at the university, quite often exchange students did, some who had only arrived weeks or even days before and had command of yes, no, thank you. Never was a problem. I understand a pro team was and is working at a higher level bit this was before complicated shit like raumdeuter and inverse nine were invented

 

[FrankFoot]

The prejudice is partly accurate but only in so far as I see the exact same issue across Europe.

'Multi-lingual' Europe is masked by the fact that so many Europeans essentially have to learn English as a 2nd language because of its status as the global language, as well as the dominance of American media etc.

Once you remove that particular aspect, countries that don't have specific historic cultural reasons for closeness (ie Malta Italian, Czeck Republic Slovak, Latvia Russian etc etc), the percentage of British people able to speak French/German for instance doesn't seem that different from the number of Germans/French speaking French/German/Spanish etc.

Well that's like 99% of the reason people learn a new language.

Barely anybody learns a new language just for the sake of it, it's either because of business/education or closeness to a neighboring country.

Still, overall I sense that continental europeans are more prone to learn a new language when traveling abroad in comparison to brits/americans who expect you to speak in english even outside their country.

 

[africanspur]

Well that's like 99% of the reason people learn a new language.

Barely anybody learns a new language just for the sake of it, it's either because of business/education or closeness to a neighboring country.

Still, overall I sense that continental europeans are more prone to learn a new language when traveling abroad in comparison to brits/americans who expect you to speak in english even outside their country.

Yes but the point these people are multi-lingual is usually because of necessity, rather than some inherent difference whereby they're more keen to learn languages. If French was the world language, I don't think the French would be any different from the Brits.

If by learn a new language, you mean learn a few basic phrases, perhaps, though I don't know what evidence you'd have for that. The statistics I've seen seem to show that once you remove English, the rate of French/Germans learning a non-dominant language (ie French/German/Spanish etc etc), is around the same as Brits/Irish.

Certainly in Spain (and the taxi drivers said the same), I've found the Germans/Dutch just as likely as the Brits to rock up, stay for years and not bother learning any of the language at all or integrate in the slightest.

 

[Salt Bailly]

So once or twice a week? Being a (former) language teacher, I have to say, wtf? He should be doing lessons with a private tutor every damn day. In fact, he should feckin do a George Feckin Orwell and buy drinks to people to get them to talk German (not French, ffs) to him so he can learn to converse with people in the language.

Good luck learning German once a week

The lessons are 24 hours in length.

 

[11101]

So once or twice a week? Being a (former) language teacher, I have to say, wtf? He should be doing lessons with a private tutor every damn day. In fact, he should feckin do a George Feckin Orwell and buy drinks to people to get them to talk German (not French, ffs) to him so he can learn to converse with people in the language.

He won't have time in between the English lessons.

 

[Wengerista]

I can't imagine anything but a blank expression on Harry Kane's face as some struggling but well-compensated language tutor tries to explain to him what the dative case is, or the difference between Vorgangspassiv and Zustandpassiv

 

[Rossa]

He won't have time in between the English lessons.

Hehe. Good one!

 

[stefan92]

Hehe. Good one!

Could also be that he struggles because his German teacher speaks too sophisticated English?

 

[FrankFoot]

Yes but the point these people are multi-lingual is usually because of necessity, rather than some inherent difference whereby they're more keen to learn languages. If French was the world language, I don't think the French would be any different from the Brits.

If by learn a new language, you mean learn a few basic phrases, perhaps, though I don't know what evidence you'd have for that. The statistics I've seen seem to show that once you remove English, the rate of French/Germans learning a non-dominant language (ie French/German/Spanish etc etc), is around the same as Brits/Irish.

Certainly in Spain (and the taxi drivers said the same), I've found the Germans/Dutch just as likely as the Brits to rock up, stay for years and not bother learning any of the language at all or integrate in the slightest.

I worked in the tourism industry, basically it was more common to find french, germans, dutch, swedish, etc tourists who were keen to even learn basic spanish (the language of my country) than anglo speakers (americans,brits, and aussies) trying to do the same.

But again I think the fact that they know that english is the dominant language worldwide influence a lot their mentality of not learning a new language even when living abroad, so I can't blame them for that. I'd probably do exactly the same in their position.

 

[strongwalker]

Yes but the point these people are multi-lingual is usually because of necessity, rather than some inherent difference whereby they're more keen to learn languages. If French was the world language, I don't think the French would be any different from the Brits.

If by learn a new language, you mean learn a few basic phrases, perhaps, though I don't know what evidence you'd have for that. The statistics I've seen seem to show that once you remove English, the rate of French/Germans learning a non-dominant language (ie French/German/Spanish etc etc), is around the same as Brits/Irish.

Certainly in Spain (and the taxi drivers said the same), I've found the Germans/Dutch just as likely as the Brits to rock up, stay for years and not bother learning any of the language at all or integrate in the slightest.

Based on anecdotal evidence, every single foreign player at Bayern learned most of his german from the physio staff, makes sense because it is a profession not often practiced by trained translators or folks with major degrees in french, spain and english, so the standard language *has* to be german. (it is rather a mixture of bavarian with some german), and how much time pros spend on the massage bench. Makes it even more amazing Hernandez isn't fluent.

 

[Blackwidow]

About the German classes... FC Bayern makes every player take them - but how eager they are depends somewhat at the player. So Max, the German teacher who travels with the team, too, in the Bayern podcast says that the most eager was a british player, Omar Richards, who would even have taken classes 7 days a week if Max did not want to have a day off each week.

Bayern has put some of this lessions with various "pupil" on youtube. You can find them (with other videos) here:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=fc+bayern+deutschunterricht
(they got English subtitles)

 

[GhastlyHun]

Good start to the season with an assist less than 4 minutes in

 

[Hulme91]

The high line that is common in Germany is going to be suicidal against Kane with pace on either side of him

Very sensible purchase by Bayern even at that price

 

[Plastic Evra]

He's a great fit for Bayern, a team who cultivated strikers through most of its recent success.

 

[GhastlyHun]

33 games and 40/41 goals to go for the season record

 

[Morty_]

Watching the highlights, do most Bundesliga team give away these huge spaces? Some of these goals Werder just opened up the highway for Bayern, jeez.

 

[Plastic Evra]

The good Werder from... some time now... always was a very attacking team, was it not ?

 

[mvpkennedy]

Yes the Bundesliga is a very attacking league with a lot of young pressing-focused coaches. Today Werder played quiet defensive but fell apart after Kane scored the 0-2.

 

[Oranges038]

Watching the highlights, do most Bundesliga team give away these huge spaces? Some of these goals Werder just opened up the highway for Bayern, jeez.

Just another team bending over for Bayern, they tend to just make it easier on themselves by not trying, that way they don't feel hurt when they inevitably get battered.

 

[CallyRed]

Dast ist gut

 

[BayernFan87]

Just another team bending over for Bayern, they tend to just make it easier on themselves by not trying, that way they don't feel hurt when they inevitably get battered.

Did you watch the game?
Werder didnt bend over at all, at least until the 2:0.
They were very aggressive i thought.

 

[Yorkeontop]

He doesn't play in eastern Germany, so until the AfD takes over and makes him play for Dresden, Herr Kane will suffice.

Much obliged.

 

[Red the Bear]

He clearly was emotional in that situation which may have affected him but this was pidgin german at best to the point of being unreadable. If you disagree tell me your take: was he criticising Scholl or not?
Notably that press conference took place in 1998 he had spent 2 seasons in germany before. Not everyone is Xabi but Alonso could discuss Schopenhauer affer being half a year here i've worked with albanianand kosovarian bricklayers with 4 years of basic school education, who had similar command of the language after being in country for 3 months.

I wasnt indicating his coaching was affecfed by it. I dont think so. Football has an universal language. I played in a pub team for many years. at our weekly session everyone was welcome to join, and as our ground was at the university, quite often exchange students did, some who had only arrived weeks or even days before and had command of yes, no, thank you. Never was a problem. I understand a pro team was and is working at a higher level bit this was before complicated shit like raumdeuter and inverse nine were invented

Oh God I forgot the Bottle analogy he used in there


my German is quite unsatisfactory if I'm being honest but I suppose he was criticizing him? Although I'm cheating here somewhat because I do recall reading about his problems back then in bayern.

In regards to trapatonni the reason I gave him somewhat a pass is how late he had to start learning the language, after all he was already an old man by then (and a very well established manager as well so probably not as eager to learn it to begin with).

You're spot on about the universal language of football (or any sport really), in United's case for example i doubt most of our foreign players even understood half the things Fergie was saying to them hell even the native speakers probably took in less than half of what he was saying , just being able to deliver the very most basic concepts and conveying the primal emotions properly probably does most of the requisite job anyway and after all they're going to kick a ball around not discuss dialectics of history or some other high concept.

 

[Oranges038]

Did you watch the game?
Werder didnt bend over at all, at least until the 2:0.
They were very aggressive i thought.

I'd liken it to an old James Bond sex scene.

They showed a bit of fight, gave a little struggle, then the eventual "oh Bayern" and reluctant acceptance of the inevitable.

 

[Plastic Evra]

Oh God I forgot the Bottle analogy he used in there


my German is quite unsatisfactory if I'm being honest but I suppose he was criticizing him? Although I'm cheating here somewhat because I do recall reading about his problems back then in bayern.

In regards to trapatonni the reason I gave him somewhat a pass is how late he had to start learning the language, after all he was already an old man by then (and a very well established manager as well so probably not as eager to learn it to begin with).

You're spot on about the universal language of football (or any sport really), in United's case for example i doubt most of our foreign players even understood half the things Fergie was saying to them hell even the native speakers probably took in less than half of what he was saying , just being able to deliver the very most basic concepts and conveying the primal emotions properly probably does most of the requisite job anyway and after all they're going to kick a ball around not discuss dialectics of history or some other high concept.

Scholl was a bit of a diva, or so I recall ? Very prime FC Hollywood for me.
It took me two watches but on the second one you do follow the logical steps in his argumentation.
And yeah Scholl, Basler and Strunz were all fined for discussing publicly the tactics with the press (or leaking ?) I suppose that's the same incident.

 

[Nani Nana]

Scholl was a bit of a diva, or so I recall ? Very prime FC Hollywood for me.
It took me two watches but on the second one you do follow the logical steps in his argumentation.
And yeah Scholl, Basler and Strunz were all fined for discussing publicly the tactics with the press (or leaking ?) I suppose that's the same incident.

Scholl was your typical Strassenfussballer, or footballer from the streets.

Refused to comply with standard tactical instructions, free-flowing across the pitch

 

[Red the Bear]

Scholl was a bit of a diva, or so I recall ? Very prime FC Hollywood for me.
It took me two watches but on the second one you do follow the logical steps in his argumentation.
And yeah Scholl, Basler and Strunz were all fined for discussing publicly the tactics with the press (or leaking ?) I suppose that's the same incident.

Yeah, he's obviously in a very compromised emotional state in that video but can't fault his argument really.

Scholl was your typical Strassenfussballer, or footballer from the streets.

Refused to comply with standard tactical instructions, free-flowing across the pitch

Was he good enough to warrant that though? He was obviously extremely successful in his tenure there but can't ever recall being ever impressed when watching him back then.

 

[kaiser1]

Watching the highlights, do most Bundesliga team give away these huge spaces? Some of these goals Werder just opened up the highway for Bayern, jeez.

I see a lot of these type of goals in the EPL every weekend

 

[Morty_]

I see a lot of these type of goals in the EPL every weekend

Do you really? I watch a fair bit of EPL, can't say the same.

I don't watch much of Bundesliga though, i'll admit as much.

 

[kaiser1]

Do you really? I watch a fair bit of EPL, can't say the same.

I don't watch much of Bundesliga though, i'll admit as much.

Last weekend, Awoniyi, Ferguson and Harvey Barnes scored similar against a high line

 

[dinostar77]

On paper that Bayern team look really good. Good solid backline (mazroui, upmemcano, kim, davies), solid double pivot (kimmich, goretzka) in midfield and a interchangable 3 behind Kane in Sane/Coman/Musiala.

Thats with Grnaby, Pavard, Neuer, de ligjt, Muller, Gravenberg, Laimier not in the starting XI.

Anything less than last 4 of CL this season will be a failure.

 

[strongwalker]

Scholl was a bit of a diva, or so I recall ? Very prime FC Hollywood for me.
It took me two watches but on the second one you do follow the logical steps in his argumentation.
And yeah Scholl, Basler and Strunz were all fined for discussing publicly the tactics with the press (or leaking ?) I suppose that's the same incident.

i'll solve, he criticized Scholl -who actually was at least publicly one of the most vocal supporters of Trap. And opposite to what the most famous quote "was erlaube Strunz?" seems to suggest, he sort of removes the target from Strunz beacuse he was injured and didnt play a lot, twice.

I see a lot of these type of goals in the EPL every weekend

eh you start playing an offensive line containing Davies, Sane, Coman, Musiala, Mazraoui and you may find yourself sometimes outpacing the enemy after a ball win. Now that is a shocker that wouldnt happen in the EPL.

 

[Tom Cato]

You can be as snarky and condescending as you want, it's clearly what you were implying

Languages become increasingly hard to learn the older you get. Some are easier to learn because they follow the same rules and share phonetics and speling similarities for a great deal of common words as the Germanic language does. Kane wont have any issues learning enough to get by on the training field to communicate in basic football terms, but theres no way he is going to spend the next year dilligently learning sentence structure and grammar rules.

 

[hasanejaz88]

He looked on the periphery for most of the game (despite the assist). That is something he would need to get used to at Bayern because he won't always be the focal point of the attack.

Two good chances, great save by Pavlenka on one and a good finish on the next, decent start but might take some time to adjust to the new role.