Harry Sherlock
The injury sustained by the England international has thrown Spurs' aspirations this season into chaos, and Mauricio Pochettino must hope that the Dutchman can step up
Tottenham spent last season playing one long game of high-stakes poker.
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Mauricio Pochettino guided his team to within a hair’s breadth of their first ever Premier League title but he did so in the knowledge that he daren’t lose the jewel in his youthful Spurs crown.
Harry Kane, mercifully, stayed fit for the entirety of the campaign, playing each and every Premier League game, and scoring 25 goals along the way to claim the Golden Boot.
In fact, Kane played 50 games in 2015-16, only missing three matches throughout the season. He played 51 games the season prior and, since March 2015, has won 17 caps for England. In two seasons Kane has spent 9,630 minutes on the pitch.
Now, though, he is consigned to the treatment table, having suffered ligament damage during the club’s 1-0 win over Sunderland at the weekend. Kane, naturally, scored the winner in that game, a close-range tap-in to earn Spurs three well-deserved points from a fixture they dominated, but the image of their star striker leaving the field on a stretcher will remain with supporters for some time.
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Pochettino made a point of asking Kane how he was as he was carted past him. A somber shake of the head appeared to point to the worst, and Kane later left White Hart Lane on crutches. Reports have suggested he is set to miss two months.
Famed injury commentator Raymond Verheijen, who has worked as a coach with Barcelona and Manchester City in the past, claims that Kane should blame Pochettino for his injury, with the Argentine allegedly working his players too hard on the training pitch.
Regardless of who is to blame – the injury appeared to come about as a result of a relatively innocuous tackle – the next two months may well come to prove Pochettino’s tactical mettle.
Kane is the glue that holds Pochettino’s Tottenham together; a general on the pitch, leading the charge both literally and metaphorically, he is the tip of Spurs’ spear, the trained assassin in front of goal as well as the unselfish provider. His injury was never in the script, as Spurs attempt to again push for the Premier League title.
Spurs fans have long called, however, for a Plan B – a rotation option, especially with Champions League commitments set to stretch an already thin squad to breaking point this season. The call was heeded in the summer, with Vincent Janssen arriving from AZ Alkmaar for £18.5 million.
The Dutchman proved himself in the Eredivisie last season, scoring 32 goals in 49 games following a fairytale rise through the Dutch league ranks. His form was so good he lasted just one campaign before Spurs came calling, but it remains to be seen if the 22-year-old can make the step up at White Hart Lane.
As has been repeatedly proven good goalscoring records in the Netherlands do not necessarily lead to good goalscoring records in England. For every Ruud van Nistelrooy there is an Afonso Alves.
Janssen, though, appears a handful. Barrel-chested and willing to run the channels, the Netherlands international scored his first goal for Spurs on Wednesday, converting a penalty in a comprehensive 5-0 victory over Gillingham in the EFL Cup.
Roberto Soldado also scored his first goal for Spurs from the penalty spot, but Pochettino will be hoping for a greater contribution from Janssen, who has already spoken of his desire to step into Kane’s shoes.
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"I am ready to play. I feel bad for Harry but if he is fit I want to play with him," he told reporters.
"He is a very good player. We played some games together and it went very well. He has a lot of qualities - he is one of the best strikers in the world so it is nice to play together with him.”
Janssen’s effusive praise of Kane, though, may well serve to highlight Spurs’ dependence on the England international.
Kane has indeed evolved into one of the finest strikers in world football, and his injury has thrown the club’s hopes of success, both domestically and in Europe, into serious doubt.
Janssen remains an unknown quantity on these shores, and everybody associated with Tottenham Hotspur must now hope that he can grasp the nettle, and prove that he is capable of replacing Spurs’ finest striker in a generation. The club’s season depends on it.
Harry Sherlock
The injury sustained by the England international has thrown Spurs' aspirations this season into chaos, and Mauricio Pochettino must hope that the Dutchman can step up
Tottenham spent last season playing one long game of high-stakes poker.
No class, no shame – Mourinho’s latest comments prove Wenger is the better man
Mauricio Pochettino guided his team to within a hair’s breadth of their first ever Premier League title but he did so in the knowledge that he daren’t lose the jewel in his youthful Spurs crown.
Harry Kane, mercifully, stayed fit for the entirety of the campaign, playing each and every Premier League game, and scoring 25 goals along the way to claim the Golden Boot.
In fact, Kane played 50 games in 2015-16, only missing three matches throughout the season. He played 51 games the season prior and, since March 2015, has won 17 caps for England. In two seasons Kane has spent 9,630 minutes on the pitch.
Now, though, he is consigned to the treatment table, having suffered ligament damage during the club’s 1-0 win over Sunderland at the weekend. Kane, naturally, scored the winner in that game, a close-range tap-in to earn Spurs three well-deserved points from a fixture they dominated, but the image of their star striker leaving the field on a stretcher will remain with supporters for some time.
Koeman rules out Everton future for Niasse
Pochettino made a point of asking Kane how he was as he was carted past him. A somber shake of the head appeared to point to the worst, and Kane later left White Hart Lane on crutches. Reports have suggested he is set to miss two months.
Famed injury commentator Raymond Verheijen, who has worked as a coach with Barcelona and Manchester City in the past, claims that Kane should blame Pochettino for his injury, with the Argentine allegedly working his players too hard on the training pitch.
Regardless of who is to blame – the injury appeared to come about as a result of a relatively innocuous tackle – the next two months may well come to prove Pochettino’s tactical mettle.
Kane is the glue that holds Pochettino’s Tottenham together; a general on the pitch, leading the charge both literally and metaphorically, he is the tip of Spurs’ spear, the trained assassin in front of goal as well as the unselfish provider. His injury was never in the script, as Spurs attempt to again push for the Premier League title.
Spurs fans have long called, however, for a Plan B – a rotation option, especially with Champions League commitments set to stretch an already thin squad to breaking point this season. The call was heeded in the summer, with Vincent Janssen arriving from AZ Alkmaar for £18.5 million.
The Dutchman proved himself in the Eredivisie last season, scoring 32 goals in 49 games following a fairytale rise through the Dutch league ranks. His form was so good he lasted just one campaign before Spurs came calling, but it remains to be seen if the 22-year-old can make the step up at White Hart Lane.
As has been repeatedly proven good goalscoring records in the Netherlands do not necessarily lead to good goalscoring records in England. For every Ruud van Nistelrooy there is an Afonso Alves.
Janssen, though, appears a handful. Barrel-chested and willing to run the channels, the Netherlands international scored his first goal for Spurs on Wednesday, converting a penalty in a comprehensive 5-0 victory over Gillingham in the EFL Cup.
Roberto Soldado also scored his first goal for Spurs from the penalty spot, but Pochettino will be hoping for a greater contribution from Janssen, who has already spoken of his desire to step into Kane’s shoes.
Why Carrick is the answer to Man Utd's Pogba problem
"I am ready to play. I feel bad for Harry but if he is fit I want to play with him," he told reporters.
"He is a very good player. We played some games together and it went very well. He has a lot of qualities - he is one of the best strikers in the world so it is nice to play together with him.”
Janssen’s effusive praise of Kane, though, may well serve to highlight Spurs’ dependence on the England international.
Kane has indeed evolved into one of the finest strikers in world football, and his injury has thrown the club’s hopes of success, both domestically and in Europe, into serious doubt.
Janssen remains an unknown quantity on these shores, and everybody associated with Tottenham Hotspur must now hope that he can grasp the nettle, and prove that he is capable of replacing Spurs’ finest striker in a generation. The club’s season depends on it.
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