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Thomas Tuchel has admitted Harry Kane is ‘not satisfied’ at Bayern Munich amid their failing Bundesliga title defence.
Tuchel is said to have raged at his players following their 3-0 collapse against title rivals Bayer Leverkusen last week, but while the club have rubbished those ‘made up’ reports, the boss has conceded their star striker is not happy.
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Bayern have lost back-to-back games - the defending champions now trail Leverkusen by five points - with Kane failing to register a shot on target in those matches.
The England captain has a stunning record of 28 goals and eight assists in 29 appearances since his arrival from Tottenham in the summer.
Bayern face Bochum in the Bundesliga on Sunday, where the German giants will be looking to avoid losing three games in a row for the first time since 2015.
They will be encouraged by their 7-0 victory over the same opponents in the reverse fixture earlier in the season, with Kane getting a hat-trick of goals as well as two assists.
But his blanks against Xabi Alonso’s unbeaten side and Lazio in the Champions League are a cause for concern, and Tuchel admits Kane has not been pleased with his lack of service in recent outings.
"It's unbelievable how well he can score in training and how he pushes on the team - which is absolutely world-class - and how little we have found him in games,” Tuchel said.
"I have seldom experienced such a difference in what a player has been able to bring on the pitch in training and on the pitch in actual games."
Asked what advice he has given the goalmachine striker, Tuchel said: "Harry doesn't need me. He can take care of himself.
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"He knows what he's doing and he's not satisfied with the way he's been implemented in games and we're not satisfied with the way things have been going."
Tuchel was speaking on Saturday morning and recognised the ‘gloomy’ atmosphere around the team - which comes after reports of a blunt seven-word rant he aimed at his team following their defeat to Leverkusen.
Raphael Honigstein reveals Thomas Tuchel and Harry Kane are under pressure at Bayern Munich following their Bundesliga loss to Bayer Leverkusen
It was claimed in the German media that Tuchel slammed his players in the dressing room, telling them: "You're not as good as I thought."
However, the club has since insisted the supposed ‘leak’ is not true, with Tuchel also rubbishing the claims.
A Bayern press spokesman said: "To clarify, media reported about a sentence Thomas Tuchel supposedly said to the team in the dressing room after the Leverkusen match.
“It is completely made up, he never said that. This is toxic and undignified."
Tuchel said it would be the end for him at the club if he had uttered those words towards his players, and insisted ‘we are all committed to turning things around’.
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"We would never put ourselves above the team, as coaches,” he said.
“The sentence that Dieter [press spokesmen] talked about is completely absurd. A coach who says a sentence like this won't enter the bus of his team again hopefully. What's that supposed to be? We never did something like that and never will.
“We will continue to push the team and the coaching stuff. But only on eye level. It doesn't work any other way. Especially when the times are difficult."
