Should Harry Kane start the Champions League final?
No.
Not in the interest of being particularly curt on the issue or coming to a conclusion too quickly but he shouldn’t start the match. He’s a massive figure at the club and one of the most important pieces of the team in terms of their future planning. On this website in particular he is even often counted as one of the core value’s that make Spurs such a bright place in English football.
It has to be recognized, however, that he hasn’t been there for crucial Champions League matches. He is not one of the reasons the team is in the position they are and it would be disrespectful to the those who have earned their place in the side up until now to give him that role.
Mauricio Pochettino won’t hurt his standing with the players if he were to pick Kane. Such is the respect both men command in the dressing room, but the player who misses out because Kane is returning from injury time could understandably feel hard done by.
It also risks upsetting the flow of the team. Tottenham are in the final because of hard work and belief. They had no business overturning the match at Ajax but did with a group of substitutes and a brave crew of partially injured starters. What that team now has is more important than any talent or goalscoring record. They have faith. Not only in themselves but in their ability to do historic things. It allows them to run harder, longer and faster and there’s no way to discount that feeling.
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They deserve to play in this match and not be subbed out for a higher profile player. It’s as simple as that.
The second factor is that it’s unlikely Harry Kane is at full fitness having spent upwards of a month injured. It would be a waste of energy and fitness to use him early on in the match, when Liverpool’s defense will be at their most energized and hungry. This is where Pochettino should turn the match into a chess game.
For instance, if he were to bring Kane on early in the second half, in say the 50th-60th minute, that will have allowed Son Heung-Min or Fernando Llorente the opportunity to run any of Joe Gomez, Virgil Van Djik or Dejan Lovren ragged. Even more so if Pochettino explains that they don’t need to save their energy for a full 90 minutes. They have essentially one half to make a difference. They should aim to throw everything at Liverpool’s defense, and perhaps if an extra boot, elbow or head were to earn a yellow card for making an impact it would be inconsequential as Kane would be coming on to ensure the team stays at 11 men.
This would then allow Kane to be as close to fully rested, and as useful, as possible. Though it is easy to slip into sentiment and emotion, it is only the fool who would. Only one thing matters and nothing else. Winning the match. The first minute matters just as much as the 40th and the 91st. To waste a starting berth on sentiment would be as foolish as when Atletico Madrid started an injured Diego Costa in the Champion League final. By the way, he had to come off after eight minutes.
This wasted a sub. With the opposition tiring, Real Madrid took the game in the second half and Diego Simeone was unable to counter because of an emotional decision he made.
Pochettino must learn from his Argentinian counterpart and make the right decision. He should keep as much quality in his pocket as possible, throwing as much confusion at Klopp as he can. Liverpool are the clear favourites but so too were Ajax, and we all know what happened in Amsterdam.