Harry Kane

[Haddock]

I'd also add that Eriksen was vital when we played a more possession based football. Which in turn opened up for Kane, Dele and Son to thrive.

Hopefully GLC and / or Ndombele can grow in to the role as a designated playmaker.

 

[kendoddsdadsdogsdead]

He just looks heavy to me. I appreciate he knows his body better than anyone but when you look at him three four years ago he’s got a completely different physique now.

 

[thecook]

We know he will be working himself like a dog to get back to full fitness so I'm not that worried. I'm happy to forget the rest of the season and see him back as sharp as ever in August

 

[adamsky]

Not sure what people expected from Harry really.

To win a header? To at least jump at right time to have even a half chance of winning a header? Lack of sharpness doesn’t account for that.

 

[phillipjpalmer]

My main concern is fear, I just felt at times last night he was holding back (and I don't blame him after 6 months out) . Must be horrible not having a 100% confidence in your body and worrying another long term injury may be around the corner.
Ankle and now hamstring, his game seems to have gone from all action, running channels, pressuring defenders to a more static target man.

 

[Phil_2.0]

It was his first game back after 6 months after a serious muscle injury and the way Mourinho set the team up did not help him. His job was to drop deep and protect the passing lanes into central midfield, then try to be a hold up/flick on outlet when we had the ball. I have no issues with his performance yesterday when you understand the mitigating circumstances that surround his appearance.

 

[theShiznit]

There was a season where he hired someone to work on his speed and this led to his best spell for us, where he had the strength, power and bit of pace to get away from defenders. Now he's just second to most things, you can say service is not great but most of his goals were of his own creation, this is why he has started dropping deep and playing more as a number 10, as he no longer has the speed to get to balls contested by a man marker.

I still retain hope that a little bit of sharpness may make all the difference, but maybe it's time to hire that coach to work on your speed again Harry? As the lead boots running in treacle look is not great on you.

Kane is a meticulous guy so he will know that his levels are way below where they have been, hopefully this leads to him seeking that extra yard again rather than just accepting this as the new norm and going full time support striker / No 10.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

I do think that with Kane, we need to make a choice. We either need to play him as an out and out box player, as we know that he’s lethal, and focus on actually creating something, or we need to drop him deeper, let him roam and find space, and be primarily a creator for others. I don’t think it’s possible to have him play that hybrid role anymore, for starters he’s lost a touch of mobility to do it and furthermore he’s got two players marking him at any given time.

With the team in its current state, I’d almost like to see him in the latter role. While his goal output would suffer, we have other players who are proven goalscorers and might even up their outputs with Kane no longer being the focus of our creativity. He’d still get double figures every season in my opinion.

I’d probably still prefer him in the former role, but I’m not sure our team is able to fashion chances for a box player. Someone else put it well when they said he’s basically waiting for Aurier’s next good cross. Son is way too selfish to be relied on, and somehow he’s actually our highest chance creator. Lo Celso does his best work in our transition play. Ndombele can’t get on the pitch. Lucas like Son is far better as a scorer than a creator. Lamela for all his qualities is unreliable in that respect. The two saving graces might be Dele, depending if he can recapture past form, and Bergwijn, who has so far shown good passing and crossing. A lot of ifs though.

I don’t buy into the notion that Kane is wrecked, but I do think he’s a different player with new strengths but also new weaknesses (as three years ago he had no weaknesses) and therefore we need to figure out how to maximise him again. It might be a case of maximising his lethal ability in the area, it might be a case of maximising his artistry and vision on the ball. I’m not convinced it’s both.

 

[razzmaster]

We need to set the team up to suit Kane. Play further up the pitch, high press and lots of runners from midfield and attacking full backs. When he was at his best he would be getting 5 plus shots on goal nearly every game. Now he is lucky to get one chance which is more down to tactics than his fitness imo.

 

[bubble07]

I was expexting rustiness but not to that extent. He was way way off the pace

 

[bubble07]

Fucking hell. 1st game back after 6 months out and he doesnt impress in a cagey, defensive game and suddenly he's shit? Give the man a break.

I know football fans gonna football fan, but even for SC this is a bit much.

Dont think anyone is saying he is shit. If they are then they are retarded. But he was so far off it

 

[bubble07]

He needs fast, offensive wide players around him and a decent CAM who has license to roam. Mourinho needs to realise he’s not John Fashanu

Son and Bergwijn are no slouches

 

[doctor stefan Freud]

Son and Bergwijn are no slouches

Absolutely. We just need to play them in the right way so he doesn’t get so isolated

 

[bubble07]

Absolutely. We just need to play them in the right way so he doesn’t get so isolated

The issue is this idea of pnly have 1 full back in advanced positions who has 1 good cross in 10. Also we have no DM so Lo Celso cant be our Bruno Fernandes.

We need 2 creative full backs and someone good who can cover them

 

[whitesocks]

On pressing, Kane used to lead the way.
But with his continual injuries, he stopped chasing, 2 or 3 years ago.
And despite the team set up to press, you can't do it unless everyone presses, as they will always have a free player.

Yesterday he offered no threat on the break and why Utd could set up camp in our half.
Plus he offered nothing in the air and was totally dominated as usual. Ours is a very short team anyway, so we can't play that way.

But the worst thing is we can't sub him as we have no-one better. Somehow one of the most expensive academies in the world produces no-one.

But he produced the best long balls and when he did get possession further up, he played the most creative passes. (If he could run, and learnt to tackle, he'd be an excellent midfielder.)
And he will score goals as he just wills it to happen.

Overall he is not the weak link. Our is just a midtable team, with no outstanding quality any more.
Most of the league are just like us and those games should be very competitive now. If fans just want to see wins, they will be disappointed.

 

[JUSTINSIGNAL]

Spurs fans

Fucking hell. I don’t know why I’m even surprised

 

[Johnny J]

I do think that with Kane, we need to make a choice. We either need to play him as an out and out box player, as we know that he’s lethal, and focus on actually creating something, or we need to drop him deeper, let him roam and find space, and be primarily a creator for others. I don’t think it’s possible to have him play that hybrid role anymore, for starters he’s lost a touch of mobility to do it and furthermore he’s got two players marking him at any given time.

With the team in its current state, I’d almost like to see him in the latter role. While his goal output would suffer, we have other players who are proven goalscorers and might even up their outputs with Kane no longer being the focus of our creativity. He’d still get double figures every season in my opinion.

I’d probably still prefer him in the former role, but I’m not sure our team is able to fashion chances for a box player. Someone else put it well when they said he’s basically waiting for Aurier’s next good cross. Son is way too selfish to be relied on, and somehow he’s actually our highest chance creator. Lo Celso does his best work in our transition play. Ndombele can’t get on the pitch. Lucas like Son is far better as a scorer than a creator. Lamela for all his qualities is unreliable in that respect. The two saving graces might be Dele, depending if he can recapture past form, and Bergwijn, who has so far shown good passing and crossing. A lot of ifs though.

I don’t buy into the notion that Kane is wrecked, but I do think he’s a different player with new strengths but also new weaknesses (as three years ago he had no weaknesses) and therefore we need to figure out how to maximise him again. It might be a case of maximising his lethal ability in the area, it might be a case of maximising his artistry and vision on the ball. I’m not convinced it’s both.

Great post. We need to play to his strengths - whatever those strengths are now. Right now we're doing neither one thing or the other - much like our style of play in general under Mourinho.

 

[JUSTINSIGNAL]

Be Patient

You’re asking way too much mate

 

[ERO]

To win a header? To at least jump at right time to have even a half chance of winning a header? Lack of sharpness doesn’t account for that.

I struggle to think of anything that's _more_ affected by match sharpness than timing in the air...

 

[Hazelton]

I think a lot of what's being said in here is being misinterpreted. The room is split between those who think he's become shit and those who believe he's still the same player he was, then there's a few of us in the middle who think that he's still a very good player, but clearly he's no longer the player he once was or promised to become, and perhaps never will be again.

I definitely don't think we should sell him unless a ridiculous offer comes in (realistically, £150m-£200m), but I also think this is the crossroads where his value is still at it's peak and will only go down from here. It's a tough one because he's homegrown and means more to us than Bale or Modric ever did, but Levy needs to decide if he's going to invest around Kane or invest without him. Either way, this "team" isn't winning jack shit with Kane and Kane alone.