HARRY KANE has been likened to Brazil legends Romario and Ronaldo by his manager Mauricio Pochettino in a bid to explain how hard it is for him to keep the goals flowing in his second season of Premier League football.
 |
| Harry Kane has scored 11 goals in 21 Premier League games for Tottenham this season |
The Tottenham boss came up against both players during his career as an uncompromising centre-back for Espanyol in Spain's Ligue 1.
And if Premier League defenders are anything like the Argentina international was in his day, they try extra hard when they come up against an opponent with the sort of reputation Kane has built for himself over the last 18 months.
"When Harry Kane first started, people thought it was okay because he was younger," Pochettino said. "Now he is a top-class player and it is always a challenge for the defender to stop him and so he changes how he plays.
"When you have in front Ronaldo or Romario, your challenge is to fight with them, you need to be ready 200 per cent, not 100 per cent.
"It is always a challenge for centre-backs to try to stop him, it's a big challenge, it has changed how they see us, how they look at us."
Ahead of this lunchtime's game against Sunderland, that is a phenomenon that is repeating itself all over the field.
"It is realistic now, that they respect us more than before. We need to be ready," he said. "Now, when the opponent runs in behind us, we feel different from before. Now they show more respect."
Despite Wednesday's loss to Leicester, Tottenham remain in the top four - the elusive Holy Grail for so many of Pochettino's predecessors.
There is no pressure on Pochettino to qualify for the Champions League, but now they are in the running, Pochettino would be devastated not to see it through.
"If you keep for a long a position in the top four, then maybe yes, our feeling would be disappointment," he said. "We need to have a clear idea that we need to fight, and we need to play better
"We need to try to stay in that position. I don't know what happened in the past, only that we need to try to fix that, and try not to repeat the same mistakes. Try to win the game, to be on the top. This is our challenge."
Sam Allardyce, for one, reckons Spurs still do not have the nous to do that.
"I'm not sure they can hold their nerve," said the Sunderland manager, whose could climb out of the relegation zone with a third successive win.
"Brendan Rodgers couldn't hold his nerve with Liverpool to win the title a couple of years ago. Just when they needed to be resilient, they couldn't quite do it. And that can be down to that lack of experience which you need in order to win it.
"Listening to my old mentor Sir Alex Ferguson, the hardest one to win for your players is always the first one - particularly when they're as young as Tottenham's.
"It would be nice if they did do it but I think their main aim is to finish in the Champions League."
Sunderland will be up against opponents with six players pushing for a place in Roy Hodgson's England squad for Euro 16.
Indeed, of the last 18 England debutants, 10 have come through under Pochettino either at Southampton or Spurs.
Allardyce, a fierce defender of British managers, refuses to shower the Argentine with praise, insisting the conveyor belt is as much down to the recruitment policies at those clubs than his methods.
"It's only because Tottenham have recruited so many good English players, isn't it?" he added. "You're talking about two very, very good recruitment policies with a very good manager.
 |
| Jermain Defoe returns to Tottenham on the back of a hat-trick at Swansea |
"Southampton's youth policy is exceptional while Tottenham are finally getting it right more often than wrong, particularly with the buying of young talent.
"And while Southampton have sold theirs, Tottenham look like they are keeping hold of theirs this time. Great talent with a good manager is the perfect combination - and you can only become a good manager with good players."
Spurs old boy Jermain Defoe returns to his former club with five goals in his last two outings including Wednesday night's hat-trick in the 4-2 win at Swansea.
Allardyce may tinker with his side following the quick turnaround in games. He must decide whether veteran Wes Brown can play two games in three days or hand a debut to former Bayern Munich defender Jan Kirchhoff.
Defoe is now 33 but has convinced his manager that he is indispensable to Sunderland's survival fight and definitely starts.
Post a Comment Blogger Facebook Disqus