When Harry Kane made his first start for Tottenham Hotspur against Sunderland last April, the tendency was to dismiss him as one of Tim Sherwood’s projects. Sherwood had already brought in Nabil Bentaleb and seemed to be pursuing a deliberate policy of promoting players he knew from the youth system as though to make a point about the inadequacy of the expensive of recruits of the previous summer and their lack of “character”.
As it turned out, Bentaleb has become a regular in the heart of their midfield while Kane has become rather more than that. There was still a tendency perhaps to underrate him, to see him as the local kid being given a run out because Roberto Soldado is still struggling desperately to score goals and Emmnauel Adebayor is in yet another slump, but what happened against Chelsea last Thursday was stunning.
Kane had troubled Gary Cahill, whose partnership with John Terry had been one of the features of Chelsea’s surge to the top of the table, in the return game at Stamford Bridge, when he’d hit the bar and led a 19-minute Tottenham rampage that brought no goals and was ended by two Chelsea strikes in quick succession. At White Hart Lane, though, he maintained that threat for 90 minutes, scored twice, set up another goal and won a penalty, leading the line with intelligence and aggression. Barring injury, it now seems inconceivable that he will not be in the England squad for the Euro 2016 qualifier against Lithuania in March.
It seems astonishing that he is only 21 and all the more so that he wasn’t really taken seriously for so long (people can claim they always knew, but there’s been little outcry about his absence from England squads). Perhaps in part it’s Kane’s appearance: with his neatly slicked blond hair and thin face, he looks like a minor character in a First World War film, somebody you know isn’t going to make it to the end.
It’s important, of course, not to go overboard. There are weaknesses to his game: despite being a little over six feet tall, he has won only 19 of 70 aerial duels he’s been involved in this season. Poor first touches are an occupational hazard for a centre-forward, often receiving the ball under pressure – and there are more storied players who have a poorer record than him this season – but 1.8 per game is a figure he’d probably like to bring down.
But the positives are extremely positive. Only Papiss Cisse has scored more Premier League goals in fewer starts this season, and Kane has weighed in with one assist more than the Senegal striker. That’s despite averaging a relatively modest 2.4 shots per game – the 30th highest figure in the league – something that suggests both the clinical nature of his finishing and his discernment in knowing when to shoot. Of his 19 strikes from outside the box, for instance, two have brought goals: it’s a limited sample size and something to keep watching but something that compares extremely favourably to, say, Andros Townsend’s record.
Kane has also been incredibly useful in leading the press, an essential part of how Mauricio Pochettino wants his side to play, making 1.1 tackles and 0.6 interceptions per game. The 2-1 win against Everton at the end of November was probably the turning point in Spurs’ season, and it was Kane’s energy and diligence that initiated that. In that sense, it helps that Kane’s whole demeanour is of a kid who can’t quite believe he got his chance: his work-rate is prodigious, supported by the fact he is so obviously having fun.
However, it’s not merely brainless running. There is method to it – something Pochettino seems good at imparting to young players. And to focus on how hard Kane works is to ignore the technical ability and imagination he shows; his second goal on Thursday, for instance, rolling away from Nemanja Matic and John Terry before shaping a finish into the bottom corner, spoke of a profound talent, the ability to create something from nothing.
Kane is young and there is more development to come, but for now he is a breath of fresh air, for Tottenham and perhaps for England, too.
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