Harry Kane

[dontcallme]

Really? Your post claimed that "Kane is the only real quality we have as far as position is concerned". My response directly countered that assertion in claiming that our keeper and defence have shown real quality since the restart, unlike Kane. Just my opinion of course, but I hope that clarifies how my post was in response to yours.

Sorry was genuinely surprised that anyone thinks our back 5 is top quality.

Jose has set us up in a very defensive way but that doesn't mean the players themselves are top quality.

5 games doesn't change that.

 

[danielneeds]

In the 5 games since the restart we have had 3 clean sheets, and the first game against United the only goal they scored was from a debatable penalty (Dier's perceived foul on Pogba). I appreciate this is a small sample of games, but from this I would say our keeper and defence having been playing at a high quality, whereas from midfield to upfront we have sucked. In the same 5 games we have mustered a total of just 11 shots on target, including against relegation battlers West Ham and Bournemouth, and Kane has played every single minute of those games.

Whilst I agree we need to continue refreshing the squad to add quality, I don't think we should be putting Kane on a pedestal as our only top quality player when he too needs to up his game and have some competition for his place.

The defence have been doing well because Jose has shifted the balance of the team back to protect them, though. As a result forwards are often isolated and our play breaks down often.

 

[Trix]

The defence have been doing well because Jose has shifted the balance of the team back to protect them, though. As a result forwards are often isolated and our play breaks down often.

It's not because they are isolated we're getting good spells of possession high up the pitch but the movement from Kane and others is nonexistent. He should be moving Cb's left to right in and out but he isn't and that's why there is no space. Question is whether he's being instructed to do this or not.

Teams know if they sit deep the only space we can find is wide. Look back over the last few games and tell me how many times Kane is moving anything other than forward or backwards when the ball is wide? How often is he pulling off his marker or coming across the front of them? It just isn't happening and as such he's not finding pockets of space.

For me Kane is as much a contributing factor as to why we can't break teams down as anyone else. He needs to be more proactive for the team with his movement.

 

[sidford]

Jose was previously known for not doing a lot of work with attackers and doesn't believe in the pre planned movement training that Pep and Klopp do for instance.
Nothing appears to have come out yet in relation to whether that has changed but given how we are "attacking" since footie has resumed I assume he hasn't changed his philosophy.

If a team like Bournemouth can stop us having any shots on target, following on from the Everton game which was truly awful, then if he can't see something is hugely wrong then it's going to be a tough time for fans until he's gone.

 

[Snarfalicious]

Not sure how much can be drawn from Kane's performances given he just came back from an injury and we have proceeded to just run him straight back into the ground, but he looks just terrible. Can't make space, isn't making runs, looks like he has no confidence in those around him (can't really blame him for this), and I don't think his distribution has been anywhere near what it typically is. Hopefully this is still him finding his feet a bit, and not the new, post-injury Kane.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

Kane still has a 1 in 2 record this season playing for a side which has never looked fluid or creative. No justification for letting him leave, none at all, as that is still invaluable irrespective of his own performance dips. Ultimately, and especially at a time when we’re not functioning in attack, someone you can rely on to score that return with minimal chances is priceless. Imagine if we do crack the attacking conundrum again.

 

[danielneeds]

Kane still has a 1 in 2 record this season playing for a side which has never looked fluid or creative. No justification for letting him leave, none at all, as that is still invaluable irrespective of his own performance dips. Ultimately, and especially at a time when we’re not functioning in attack, someone you can rely on to score that return with minimal chances is priceless. Imagine if we do crack the attacking conundrum again.

Ultimately it’s out of our hands. If he decides he wants to go at 27 and we’re out of the CL, we can’t keep him. The only way we get back to being a competitive team again is with young, hungry players willing to die for the cause.

 

[glacierSpurs]

The amount of crosses Aurier put in yesterday played between the defending line and the keeper, and yet I never see Kane getting in front of/behind the defenders and converting. Those sort of deliveries are a nightmare for defenders who are also scared of scoring an own goal, and they should be golden opportunities for Kane to tap-in, however it's always someone like Lamela who shows the commitment to get closest to getting on the end of them.

People moaning about the lack of service Kane is getting, but sadly due to his reduced mobility he's not making enough space for himself to receive the ball, and when he receives the ball he's not quick enough at moving the ball out of his feet to take a shot, and he's often not fast enough to outpace the defenders to run onto a through-ball. So what service are you expecting him to get exactly? Not every team is lucky enough to have De Bruyne pinging inch-perfect passes game after game.

Also unless he's dropping deep to receive the ball and then passes, when he's in the final third he's only focused on getting the shot away himself. For someone in his position, flanked by the likes of Son, Bergwijn and Moura, to only have 2 assists (PL and CL) is terrible. Compare that to other top teams' leading men: Firmino (11 assists), Vardy (6), Aguero (4), Abraham (4). Kane isn't exactly servicing his team-mates either.

Don't get me wrong here - I genuinely value Kane enormously but I think he is equally to blame with the rest of the team for underpar performances. I don't think he's in a position to look down at everyone else and think he deserves better.

When he scores, he's great, when he doesn't, is the team's fault.

It has been more than a year of inconsistent performance from Kane yet there are still so many continuing to jump to his defence.

 

[nailsy]

I see him leaving this summer... Greenwood is looking good already and it could very well be the case that Harry plays next season in a shite team and doesnt perform anywhere near the level required to play for England next summer

Where would he go? I get the impression that he would want to stay in the premier League. United don't need him now. Liverpool don't seem to have the money. City are the only real candidates now.

The state of some of you saying he's past his best and we should cash in.

He is our only world class player, if he leaves it's because we're absolutely dog shit and he'll go somewhere else to tear it up and actually win trophies like a player of his class deserves.

Best days behind him?! Seriously, have a word with yourselves and look how bad we are as a team.

Harry needs to leave for the good of his career, this squad is heading nowhere.

I think his best days are behind him, but he's still one of the best strikers in the world. There's no one that we could buy who would be better than him. Could we improve the team if we sold him and bought two or three players? I wouldn't have much confidence in that.

He needs to play better than he is at the moment, but he's just come back from months out and is paying a lot of football in a short period of time.

 

[danielneeds]

Where would he go? I get the impression that he would want to stay in the premier League. United don't need him now. Liverpool don't seem to have the money. City are the only real candidates now.



I think his best days are behind him, but he's still one of the best strikers in the world. There's no one that we could buy who would be better than him. Could we improve the team if we sold him and bought two or three players? I wouldn't have much confidence in that.

He needs to play better than he is at the moment, but he's just come back from months out and is paying a lot of football in a short period of time.

Don’t discount Newcastle if the takeover goes through and Poch is made boss.

 

[nailsy]

Don’t discount Newcastle if the takeover goes through and Poch is made boss.

I can't see it. Wasn't he one of the players that wanted Poch gone?

 

[morris25]

He's fucked, always the slowest on the pitch and makes no effort to find space, just trots around.

 

[danielneeds]

I can't see it. Wasn't he one of the players that wanted Poch gone?

Things get to a head when everyone’s in a pressurised situation, and it’s difficult to communicate. I’m sure after 9 months they are texting now and Kane realises that Poch was the best thing to ever happen to him.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

Ultimately it’s out of our hands. If he decides he wants to go at 27 and we’re out of the CL, we can’t keep him. The only way we get back to being a competitive team again is with young, hungry players willing to die for the cause.

I’d agree with what you say if he had two years left on his deal.

He has four, and if there were any release clauses regarding failure to qualify for the champions league which he intended to activate, it’d have been leaked by now.

Earliest he leaves against our wishes is 2021, maybe even 2022.

 

[dagraham]

I’m not saying sell, but maybe someone should have the bollocks to tell him that he’s been shit at certain things for quite a while, and that he needs a back-up to push him. He’s calling all the shots, and not hitting the target with any of them.

Why do we need to tell him he needs another decent CF to push him? Just fucking sign one and the rest takes care of itself.

I also find it strange that at a time when our team/squad and prospects are dropping like a stone we’re happy to let our only world class player leave.

If people think we’re shit now........

 

[danielneeds]

I’d agree with what you say if he had two years left on his deal.

He has four, and if there were any release clauses regarding failure to qualify for the champions league which he intended to activate, it’d have been leaked by now.

Earliest he leaves against our wishes is 2021, maybe even 2022.

It’s absolutely pointless trying to keep a player as big as Kane is when he’s decided he wants to move on. All you get is a circus, media stories, more destabilisation and undoubtedly poor performances. What will probably happen is that a deal will be done between Levy and Kane this summer, give us one season out of the CL and if we don’t qualify next season you can go for a fair market price.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

It’s absolutely pointless trying to keep a player as big as Kane is when he’s decided he wants to move on. All you get is a circus, media stories, more destabilisation and undoubtedly poor performances. What will probably happen is that a deal will be done between Levy and Kane this summer, give us one season out of the CL and if we don’t qualify next season you can go for a fair market price.

So like I said, not till 2021 at least then...

 

[agrdavidsfan]

To be honest the more I watch him and the more I see from him he just doesn’t seem to have that drive anymore he probably like us fans is just disillusioned if none of us want to bother watching us think how he feels having to play in it.

 

[danielneeds]

To be honest the more I watch him and the more I see from him he just doesn’t seem to have that drive anymore he probably like us fans is just disillusioned if none of us want to bother watching us think how he feels having to play in it.

I dunno, to me at the moment he’s playing a lot like he did at the last WC, he’s static, not moving, he looks one-paced and like he doesn’t trust hos body to sprint. He’s not fully sharp or doesn’t have that confidence in his body.

 

[al_pacino]

To be honest the more I watch him and the more I see from him he just doesn’t seem to have that drive anymore he probably like us fans is just disillusioned if none of us want to bother watching us think how he feels having to play in it.

He's as much of the problem as anyone else. As it stands he really isn't playing well and desire isn't the issue but his body is. He looks like he's trying to play in a suit of armour.