The Harry Kane team is an easy assertion to point in the direction of Tottenham Hotspur with the England striker closing in on Jimmy Greaves’ Spurs goalscoring record should he remain at the club, but whilst his goals are undoubtedly vital to Spurs, there is still hope that life after Kane can be fruitful for the club.
Manchester City Game Proves That Spurs Are Not The Harry Kane Team
Tottenham Can Still Set Sights High if Kane Leaves
No club wants their best players to leave, especially not to rivals in the same division, but Manchester City are financially way ahead of Tottenham and backed to have regular success. Yet, it must be said, it is too easy to say that, without Kane, Tottenham can not compete on any level. It will be difficult for every club to compete against another side with endless cash flowing throughout its veins, but Tottenham fans can take a look back at recent history to see that, should their star player leave, there is still light at the end of the tunnel for a bright future.
April 1 2018 – Injured Harry Kane on Bench as 28 Year Record is Broken
Under Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham became a stronger team with a more defiant attitude and a high press to combine with a solid defence, but when Kane injured his ankle in 2018 against Bournemouth, a trip to Stamford Bridge where Spurs had not won for 28 years seemed a mountainous task.
Kane’s absence did not faze his teammates. Instead, it inspired them to a 3-1 win as Dele Alli scored twice and cupped his ear in delight to a stunned Chelsea crowd. Dele took the strikers role on with aplomb and there was a fluidity about Spurs as a 3-1 score line flattered their hosts. Kane did come on for the last 14 minutes of the tie but Tottenham had proved that they were not ‘The Harry Kane team.’
May 8 2019 – Tottenham Stun Ajax in Kane Absence
May 8, 2019 will forever go down in Tottenham folklore, as a stunning second half hat-trick from Lucas Moura produced a 3-3 aggregate score to put Spurs in the Champions League final. In the first-half of the second leg, Spurs did look like they were missing Kane, but Dele, Lucas, and substitute Fernando Llorente took the game by the scruff of the neck and produced a comeback of epic proportions to stun Ajax. The Harry Kane team had won without Kane once more and they now knew how to do it.
Kane Starts Champions League Final
When your top goalscorer is judged to be fit then it will be a hard decision to leave that player out, and Pochettino decided to take a gamble on Kane’s fitness and start him in the final in place of semi-final hero Lucas. This was Kane’s first game since injuring his ankle in the quarter-final first leg victory over the club currently chasing his signature, and it showed.
Tottenham lost the fluidity that Alli and Lucas had provided in the second-half against Ajax and Kane almost made Spurs weaker by his presence. It was as clear as could be that one man does not make a team.
Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Manchester City – August 15 2021
Coming into the first game of the 2021/22 Premier League season at home against the champions was as tough a start as new Spurs boss Nuno Espírito Santo could have been given. And, with Kane deemed unfit fit and amid interest from Manchester City, it would have been easy for Spurs to struggle, and for the opening 15 minutes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, they did look disjointed. City had three chances to take the lead and, in truth, had they had Kane at their disposal, the game would have been over very quickly.
Tottenham regrouped, however, and showed that Santo has already put a mark on his new team. Unlike under Jose Mourinho, they were Resilient, quick and coherent, which allowed them to push City back.
Tottenham’s goal came from arguably the clubs biggest star after Kane in Son Heung-min, who is relishing his new contract and without his partner was freer than ever to express himself. His goal was a fast counter-attack with Steven Bergwijn racing away and playing the ball on the right towards him. Nathan Ake pushed Son inside onto his left foot, allowing him to curl the ball home to give Spurs, minus Kane, the lead and ultimately all three points.
Future Can Still Be Bright as The Harry Kane Team Look Ready for Future With or Without Him
Kane’s goals and performances are nothing short of superb and he is one of the best strikers in world football today, but Tottenham have shown they can win without him.
Rather than looking a team without a star player, against City Spurs looked a team united, understanding what the new manager wants from them and ready to face the new season with or without Kane.
Of course, if he leaves he will be missed, but this has to be the start of a new era under Santo. And, with more signings expected, it is time for Tottenham Hotspur to prove no one player is bigger than the club and fans can be cautiously optimistic of a bright future ahead.
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