Tottenham Win Dampened by Harry Kane Injury
By Ryan Wrenn
Though its full extent is not yet clear, the injury Harry Kane sustained on Sunday has Tottenham pondering the rest of the season without their star striker.
Tottenham were enjoyed a sustained bout of pressure on Millwall’s goal in the opening stages of the FA Cup quarterfinal when Kane found the ball at a tight angle inside the box. Though he got the shot away, a Millwall defender’s attempt to block it sent Kane toppling to the turf.
It was immediately clear that the tackle — while not malicious — did some damage. Spurs’ physios raced onto the pitch and lifted Kane to his feet. He was able to walk without assistance, but his day was done. Christian Eriksen came on in his stead in the 10th minute.
While Spurs hardly missed a beat without Kane — they beat their League One opponents 6-0 — the prospect of losing Kane for any amount of time put a cloud over the whole affair.
The club’s worst fears appeared at least partially confirmed after the match when Kane was seen leaving White Hart Lane on crutches and wearing a boot.
Mauricio Pochettino’s comments after the game reflected the anxiety, per ESPN:
"“Now he twisted his ankle, the same ankle that was before in the game against Sunderland. Now it’s a matter of waiting, assessing tomorrow, and after tomorrow, and seeing what happens. It’s difficult. It looks a similar situation to Sunderland, during that game, but we’ll see. We need to wait and be positive.”"
It was that injury against Sunderland in September that kept Kane out for six weeks thereafter. Tottenham’s attack suffered as a result, scoring only nine goals in nine matches — not including a 5-0 demolition of League One’s Gillingham in the EFL Cup.
If Kane’s absence hurt then, it feels as if it would be doubly worse now. The pursuit for the title appears all but done, with Chelsea ten points clear at the top. Tottenham’s focus, then, is the hunt for a Champions League spot, but they face stiff competition for one of those three spots from Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United.
Coping without Kane — if indeed Spurs are forced to do so — will be, put lightly, interesting. While the club addressed a long-standing lack of depth in the squad with the acquisition of Vincent Janssen last summer, the Dutch striker hardly looks a candidate to replace Kane.
Pochettino hasn’t deployed too much subtlety in regard to his opinion of Janssen in the last few months. His lack of goals on the pitch and, perhaps, poor attitude on the training ground meant he was often looked over since the new year. The latest blow came when Eriksen was brought on instead of Janssen on Sunday.
Next: Tottenham's Sheer Quality -- Not Tactics -- Beat Millwall
Heung-min Son clearly looks like an option after his hat-trick Sunday. Scoring against Millwall and Wycombe Wanderers aren’t quite the same as scoring every week in the Premier League however.
Whoever comes into the starting XI for Kane, it is far less optimal than relying on the reigning Golden Boot winner week after week. Tottenham suffered through several injuries to key players this season and still sit second in the league after 27 weeks. One gets an impression that they will find a way to muster on without Kane.