POTM (Europe) – September 2024
September saw the leagues around Europe ramping up, as we had several rounds of league fixtures, domestic cups and European competitions all getting going. In the top 5 leagues we’ve seen some sides start strong, others stumble and league tables only just starting to take shape for the season ahead.
This months NextGoalWinner player of the month winner is a player who has been a key figure in leading his club back to the top of the Bundesliga where they were dislodged last season by Xabi Alonso’s pesky Leverkusen side. However, under new management of Vincent Kompany, Bayern Munich have reclaimed top spot while also producing a huge European performance, in large part thanks to their English talismanic striker Harry Kane.
Harry Kane has hit the ground running once again this season, as last campaign was fantastic on an individual level but failed to result in the expected silverware. There was a below par Euros journey which Kane struggled to impact but came close again to silverware, however this year he’s looking to balance his individual success with resulting team successes. September showed this as Kane helped Bayern to an unbeaten month and only 1 game away from a 100% record, with Kane contributing 9 goals and 3 assists in this time, along with 2 goals on international duty. With a total of 11 goals and 3 assists in 7 games, he has averaged 2 goal contributions per game throughout the month of September, earning a well-deserved Player of the Month award.
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Match By Match
September 1st: Bayern Munich 2-0 Freiburg – Starting off the month, Kane opened the scoring in a dominant showing against Freiburg. With a 38th minute penalty conversion, his scoring run started for September as Bayern claimed a strong showing and victory. While Muller took the headlines as he scored the second while also becoming Bayern’s record appearance maker, Kane played a valuable role in leading the forward line, claiming an 8.0/10 FotMob rating.
September 14th: Holsten Kiel 1-6 Bayern Munich – After a strong international break where under new management of Lee Carsley, Kane played in the wins over Ireland and Finland, scoring a brace in the Finland win as Kane became the 10th player to have 100+ caps for the national team. Back to league action Kane’s scoring continued as Bayern ran riot in this week, starting with the win over Kiel in which Kane scored a hattrick in the 7th, 43rd and 91st minute from the spot to claim 3 more goals and 3 points. While also scoring half the goals himself, he had also set up the 1st minute opener for Musiala as he set the marker for a dominant week of action. With a 9.8/10 FotMob rating he was on top form with the 3 goals, 1 assist, 90% pass accuracy, 100% long ball accuracy and 100% tackles won to round off a near perfect showing.
September 17th: Bayern Munich 9-2 Dinamo Zagreb – The goalscoring continued for Bayern and Kane as they headed into the new-look Champions League group stage, hosting Dinamo Zagreb in what turned out to be a hugely attacking display from the hosts. With a 3-0 half-time lead, Zagreb looked to get back into the game with Neuer off injured at the break as they made it 3-2, but Bayern’s attacking force proved too much to handle as they added an extra 6 in the second period to produce on of the competitions most dominant performances ever. Harry Kane was a key part of this as he made it back to back hattricks with 4 goals in total from the game. With 3 penalties in the 19th, 73rd and 78th minutes, he also had one from open play in the 57th minute to round out a huge showing from the individual and team. With a 9.9/10 FotMob performance adding to the 9.8 from 3 days prior, Kane was in top form once again. Adding into his huge scoring run, he also managed 100% dribble success, 100% long ball accuracy and 100% aerial duels won in a perfect showing.
September 21st: Werder Bremen 0-5 Bayern Munich – With a 3rd win in a week where Bayern scored 20 goals and conceded just 3, Kane added his 11th of the month and assists 2 and 3 as Bremen were the victims on this occasion. Kane was provider for the opener in the 23rd minute, and added one himself in the 57th minute before his last contribution on the 65th minute, but by that time Bayern were 5 up and cruising to victory. With a 9.0/10 FotMob rating making it 3 9+ scores in a row, Kane rounded off a huge month and won 100% of his tackles to add to this great performance once again.
September 28th: Bayern Munich 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen – The only slip up for Bayern’s near perfect month was against last seasons title winner Leverkusen, as hosts Bayern dominated most of the game but weren’t able to prevent Leverkusen’s impressive 31st minute opener, and relied upon Pavlovic’s even more impressive equaliser to share the points. Kane hit his 2nd blank of the 7 game month with the other against Ireland in the international break, as he failed to provide any goal contribution against the resolute Leverkusen. The win kept Bayern at the top of the table, and looking strong, but this slight dip will have hurt Kompany’s side after their impressive September. Kane was quiet in this one by his impressive standards, and withdrawn late on with a potential injury, however his 6.5/10 FotMob rating couldn’t prevent a deserved award for this month.