Tottenham
Hotspur’s match at home to Asteras Tripolis will most likely be remembered for
Erik Lamela’s moment of magic (well, it was beyond magic, but that’s beside the
point). However, amidst the jubilation, one man stepped up to the plate once
again and proved his worth for Spurs- Harry Kane.
It wasn’t
long ago that many people were ridiculing the fact Kane was Tottenham’s third
choice striker (if you claim to have never made a Harry Kane joke, you’re
lying). But now, it’s a totally different story, with the academy graduate
pressing for an England call and, certainly based on form, showing his worth to
claim a Spurs starting spot.
You can
look at his recent record and say “pick him” simply because he’s providing
goals when Emmanuel Adebayor and Roberto Soldado aren’t, but it’s when you look
deeper at Kane’s game when you realise he deserves to start. The system
Mauricio Pochettino is introducing requires three main qualities from his man
up top- good link up/hold up play, precise finishing and an admirable work
rate. At the moment, Kane is the only option who fits the bill.
Okay, one
wouldn’t simply look first glance at Harry Kane and say “genius”, but the man
has a brain. A big, bulging, footballing brain. His awareness of the space
around him is one thing, but he can string a pass a good twenty yards, and I
don’t mean a pointless Paulinho pass either. Our system is fluid, especially
further up the pitch, and Harry Kane would allow the likes of Erik Lamela,
Christian Eriksen and Nacer Chadli to make the most of their darting runs and
forward thinking.
Whenever
Kane picks up the ball from about twenty-five yards, I expect many are now half-expecting
him to ping one into the keeper’s far hand post. To be fair to him, that’s
becoming a regular occurrence, especially in the Europa League. A hat trick is
a hat trick regardless of opposition, and I imagine it’s going to make
defenders wary. Adebayor has netted just once this term and Soldado, despite his lack of service during his tenure here, will most likely not be the prolific goal scorer we've dreamt of. The sooner Kane makes his mark in the Premier League, the more
likely he is going to develop into the centre forward we've been dreaming of.
Positioning
is a troublesome attribute when discussing Tottenham’s striking options.
Adebayor is likely to roam out to the wings and back again at turtle’s pace,
whilst Soldado may stand their waiting for the ball or drop deep, get involved
but we’ll lose a man up top. With Kane though, he strikes the right balance. He
comes deep to collect, hold up and get involved if need be, but can also act as
a target man. Combine this with the fact we play with two inside forwards and
have one of the world’s best prospects playing in the hole and it’s the perfect
recipe for much needed goals.
Now the
question is, how do we handle him?
Earlier
this week, I was debating whether paying £15million for West Brom forward Saido
Berahino would be a good deal- my answer was “at the moment, no”. That’s a huge
price tag for someone so young and inexperienced; pressure would probably get
to him. Fans were also touting Berahino as “the new Defoe” which, although
flattering, is yet more pressure on the young man’s shoulders- we mustn't make the same mistake with Kane.
So far in
his career, Kane’s good performances have come when people don’t really expect
it, and whilst we should start expecting it more, fans and players alike mustn't
be relying on him to be the sole source of goals. In his interviews, he’s
seemed very humble, and that shouldn't change. He has the right attitude, good
ability, and a manager who’s made it clear he wants to work with him.
Harry Kane has been starting to excite people, and he deserves to be starting vs Newcastle.
