Tottenham Hotspur excited Harry Kane to return when action resumes
By Aaron Coe
Not only is Tottenham Hotspur returning to play but so is Harry Kane
For Tottenham Hotspur, the impending return of the Premier League season is more than a return to action, as it marks the unexpected return of Harry Kane to the 19-20 season.
It was just over 70 minutes into the first game of the new year for Tottenham Hotspur, when Harry Kane reached for a cross and instead of coming up golden, game up lame rupturing his thigh in the 1-0 loss to Southampton.
Kane went out more than 150 days ago, but thanks to the COVID induced break, Kane only missed eight games and now the Tottenham talisman is back for the 9 games of the campaign.
Unfortunately for Tottenham, they were eliminated from European competition before the stoppage, but having Kane back for the run-in, gives Spurs fans some hope for still making the top four and Champions League next season.
With Kane – and presumably everyone else at full strength – the situation is less than ideal, but the same situation 3 months ago without Kane was downright frightening.
Tottenham Hotspur in the middle of the pack in the standings
Currently, Tottenham Hotspur is in sole possession of 8th place on 41 points, smack in the middle of a huge mess of squads, all equally healthy and all equally hungry to advance up the table.
Spurs have three teams chasing within 2 points – Arsenal, Burnley, and Palace – and a fourth Everton just 4 points back. Sufficed to say if Tottenham struggle over these final nine games – less likely with Kane fit – bottom half is a realistic finish.
Looking ahead, Chelsea has a sizable cushion on Spurs with 7 points separating 8th and 4th. While not as big of a lead, the Blues have a full 3 points on Manchester United who sit fifth on 45 points.
Between United and Spurs are hungry outsiders Wolverhampton and Sheffield United, both on 43. In some respects, it is 8 teams within 8 points all fighting for 5th place and a Europa League slot unless Chelsea slip up – or FIFA Fair Play comes through.
The bottom line is Tottenham is in a dogfight, race to the finish what is left of the Premier League season.
While the prospects are not great, there is at least hope with Kane as part of the squad, which is much more than could be said before the pandemic induced hiatus. Now with a full, healthy squad, it is up to Kane and Jose Mourinho to make it happen.