Telegraph article today
A striker for all seasons
Harry Kane is redefining the role of striker and thriving in Jose Mourinho's Tottenham puzzle
Lockdown offered Kane a chance to rest and Mourinho a chance to think - both look better for it
JASON BURT
Harry Kane is re-inventing what it means to be a centre-forward. Not a number nine; not a false nine; not a number 10. Not even a nine and a half. This is something different from the Tottenham Hotspur striker and England captain who is becoming the best striker in world football in the thirds.
It is hard to think of another forward player who, combined, is so effective defensively; in midfield and yet still is so prominent in attack. In Tottenham’s impressive win over Manchester City at the weekend Kane was leading the number of tackles won, spent more time in his own half than City’s, did not have a shot on target, was booked and yet emphatically deserved to be named man of the match.
Kane affected the game with both goals. There was the clever movement as he stepped towards the ball, drawing both of City’s centre-halves with him, to create the space for Son Heung-min to run into and open the scoring. His presence unsettled City and he knew that and used it. Then Kane dropped into his own half to collect possession and run at the City goal before his typically finely weighted pass allowed substitute Giovani Lo Celso to beat Ederson.
That assist took Kane’s total in the Premier League to nine – four more than any other player in the top five European leagues – to add to his seven goals. Since Jose Mourinho became Spurs’ head coach Kane has 45 goal contributions – scoring 27 times with 18 assists – in just 34 games in all competitions.
In the Amazon Prime documentary series “All or Nothing” Mourinho made a gesture like an explosion to describe the impact he felt he could make on Kane and, so far, that has been the case although not probably in a way that the player expected.
Certainly the structure that Mourinho has created around Kane has made a significant difference. Spurs do, undeniably, defend deeper and press far less with the key being the forward runners – against City it was Son and Steven Bergwijn – who can occupy the opposition’s back-line, run in behind and allow Kane to drop off.
“When the puzzle around him is perfect for him, he’s fantastic,” Mourinho said after the City win and the use of the word “puzzle” was deliberate given before the transfer window closed he had spoken about how a “squad is a puzzle” and he needed more pieces to complete it. By praising Kane, Mourinho is praising himself.
Who can blame him? Few teams have taken advantage of the unique circumstances of lockdown as much as Spurs. Mourinho lived with his coaching staff before ‘Project Restart’ began, he was even reprimanded for breaking the government rules but has used the time wisely to work on team shape and organisation and taking advantage also of fans not being allowed into stadia. Would they have easily accepted the style of play?
The football is not complicated. It is not thrilling. It does not need time on the training pitches once the basic principles are instilled on what is called a ‘low block’ (defending deep) so breaks down less often that the intricate patterns demanded by Pep Guardiola. It is, though, hugely dependent on key players performing and chief among those is Kane who, at 27, is reaching new heights with his game intelligence and management.
Maybe Robert Lewandowski is a better, pure number nine but he does not do what Kane does. Neither does Erling Haaland or Sergio Aguero or Kylian Mbappe or any of the best strikers in the world. There is a comparison with Wayne Rooney in his prime at Manchester United when he dropped deeper, worked hard for the team and was a creator as well as a goal-scorer and, going further back, maybe even Marco Van Basten who arguably started the debate over whether a striker could be a “nine-and-a-half” - a hybrid of the classic centre-forward and a creative attacking midfielder.
Kane is taking that in a new direction with the work he does in his own penalty area, the way he receives the ball in difficult situations deep in his own half but also the space he is able to find to spring attacks, the quality of his passing and doing this without compromising his ability to still score goals at an impressive rate.
Kane has clearly bought into what Mourinho is doing. Maybe it is not, ideally, the kind of football he wants to play but for now it is winning football and we know he has not hidden the fact he has reached a point in his career when he wants to be able to win trophies and not just personal accolades. Alan Shearer’s all-time Premier League scoring record is in Kane’s sights. He has 150 Premier League goals and if he maintains his present rate Kane should beat Shearer’s total of 260. Similarly, with 34 goals for England, he should pass Rooney’s mark of 53 goals.
But while those landmarks would be remarkable what do they mean without silverware? The obvious conclusion would be that Kane was at the wrong club and stayed there too long. “I’ve always said if I don’t feel we are progressing as a team or going in the right direction, I’m not going to stay there for the sake of it,” Kane said in an Instagram Live Q&A during the first lockdown and it is starting to feel like now or never when it comes to him and Spurs.
By accepting this Kane is also making himself a better player and a more unique player. He wears the number 10, he is titularly a number nine. But he is actually both and neither of those. We need to find a new name for the role of Harry Kane 2.0.
