Tottenham’s Harry Kane Not Fully Fit Yet to Begin Year
With Harry Kane carrying Tottenham for two years, rest is a must now.
Because Tottenham’s pre-sesaon training program began on July 1st, 10 of their 11 players hadn’t been able to rest due to the Euros.
Asking them to get ready for the new season immediately is a bit much.
According to Dan Kilpatrick of ESPN FC, 10 of Tottenham’s 11 players who played in the Euros didn’t begin training until three weeks ago.
Which is why Spurs played sluggishly against Everton.
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All of this is to say that Harry Kane could start on the bench against Crystal Palace.
In Kane’s place will be Vincent Janssen.
After coming into the game in the 56th minute to help Spurs score an equalizer and earn a draw at Goodison Park, the Dutch striker deserves to get more playing time.
Furthermore, it will help Janssen continue building a rapport with this team which could mean both strikers might play together if the Dutchman does well.
However, this doesn’t mean Kane will take a backseat after being Tottenham’s starting striker for the past two seasons. He’ll be back up to speed in due time.
“You have to put stuff like that behind you,” Kane said following Friday’s draw at Goodison Park (via ESPN FC).
“It was not the way we wanted it to go but that is football. That has to go to the back of your mind and I am focused on the Premier League season.”
“I feel fit and ready to go. We are training hard, getting fitter every week, so I’m looking forward to the games ahead.”
“It’s hard not to think about it when you are away on holiday. You wish it went better and think about what you could have done better. It’s football.”
“There are highs and lows along your career and how you deal with that makes you the player you are.
“I’m probably still not 100 percent. I had one preseason game and today.”
“We are training hard and I am sure it will not be long before we are fully match fit.”
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Against Everton, Harry Kane was ineffective.
And that was due to a lack of service combined with being unfit.
“I did not really have a chance on goal today which is always disappointing as a striker,” Kane added.
“It is the first game of the season and there is a long way to go. A lot of us are still getting our fitness.”
“We are going to train hard again this week and be ready for next Saturday.”
With the season opener now behind Spurs, Tottenham’s 2016-17 campaign starts off with a draw. And yet, it’s better than losing.
Despite the slow start, Harry Kane believes that this team will be much better.
“We want to be better and improve,” Kane added.
“There are a lot of clubs who have bought a lot of players and felt like they needed to strengthen their squad.”
“We have brought in a couple of really good signings who are going to make a difference this year.”
“We are a team who have stuck together. We have been through it together and learned from that experience together.”
“Hopefully we can push on this year and do even better.”
“It was a disappointing end to what was a great season [last year]. It is something we have got to learn from.”
“As players we know what we did wrong and what we have got to work on this year. Hopefully we can do that.”
Next: Did Tottenham's Two Striker Experiment Work?
Football is a long season and one draw to start Tottenham’s new campaign isn’t bad.
They will continue to improve and should they sign a couple more players at winger and attacking midfield, Spurs will be complete.
If not, Spurs can still manage though it will be difficult.