Wednesday 21 September 2016 09:54, UK
Can Tottenham cope without Harry Kane? We look at why it'll be a big test for Mauricio Pochettino...
It's a long time since Tottenham went into a Premier League game without Harry Kane in the line-up. It was away to Aston Villa in November 2014, Emmanuel Adebayor and Roberto Soldado were the forwards, and Spurs were losing 1-0 against Villa's 10 men with just five minutes to go. Kane came off the bench and turned it around, scoring a last-minute winner.
Even that option is lost to Mauricio Pochettino for the near future. A sequence of four games in 12 days that includes a trip to Moscow and culminates in a showdown with title favourites Manchester City was always going to be a test. Now Tottenham must face it without the man who has scored 48 goals in the last 74 Premier League games.
Pochettino's Premier League record as Spurs boss without Kane in the team is not encouraging. In fact, he's lost three of the four home games. But this is a very different squad these days and there has been the opportunity to try out alternative shapes in the cup competitions. So what are the options available to the Argentine?
Vincent Janssen
When Manchester City discovered they'd be without Sergio Aguero for three games, Pep Guardiola offered a straightforward response to the question of why he'd be opting for Kelechi Iheanacho as his replacement. "Iheanacho is our striker," said Guardiola. "I'm excited for him. We had other options but our striker is Iheanacho. He is with us. I have faith."
Janssen will be hoping for a similar display of trust from Pochettino. Given that the coach was prepared to shift Kane to a deeper role against Crystal Palace in order to accommodate the Dutchman, as well as make a change to bring the forward on before the half-hour mark against Liverpool, it seems that the summer arrival from AZ can expect a run in the side.
The 22-year-old is still without a goal but it's worth noting that he failed to find the net in his first nine games for AZ last season before getting to grips with the Eredivisie and embarking on an extraordinary scoring run, eventually netting 30 goals in the campaign. Janssen's former coach with club and country, Fred Grim, is convinced patience will be rewarded.
"I know Vincent as a player is always working hard to get better, in every training session and in every match," Grim told Sky Sports. "At Spurs, Vincent will first have to get used to the higher level of the Premier League. But I know that he has the willingness and the desire to prepare properly that will allow him to grow and develop into the level required."
Heung-Min Son
While Janssen seems certain to be called upon, such is Spurs' fixture list, it may well be that he cannot shoulder the burden alone in Kane's absence. With no other senior striker at the club, that will require a rejigging of the resources and it would be no surprise to see Heung-Min Son asked to deputise as a striker while the main man is missing.
Chiefly used as a winger by Tottenham, the South Korea international does have pedigree as a centre-forward from his time in the Bundesliga. Even in his brief opportunities in the position last season, Son managed to score against opponents of the quality of Leicester in the FA Cup and Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League.
Son is in good form too, having scored twice in a 4-0 win at Stoke earlier this month and he followed that up by picking up the man of the match award in the weekend win over Sunderland. With Erik Lamela and Christian Eriksen able to come back into the starting line-up, there is the option of moving Son into the forward line.
Any other options?
Beyond those pair, perhaps the best bet is young Shayon Harrison, a teenage striker who enhanced his reputation during the summer - even getting on the scoresheet against Inter. He's on the verge of the first-team and Pochettino has shown in the past that he's more than comfortable putting his faith in young players.
But whether it's a youngster such as Harrison, Son deputising or Janssen's chance to shine, Kane's record suggests that Tottenham will miss him. How could they not? He's the man Pochettino described earlier this year as "one of the best strikers in the world" and even a supposedly out-of-form Kane has netted in each of his last two Premier League appearances.
Spurs cannot afford too many slips over the coming weeks. After losing at home to Monaco, they'll need to get a result against CSKA Moscow next week, while a home defeat to City would add to the feeling that Guardiola's side could run away with the Premier League. For the first time in his reign, the pressure is on Pochettino to find a solution without Harry Kane.
