How Tottenham Hotspur can get Harry Kane firing again
By Aaron Coe
Harry Kane has struggled to find his best form and score for Tottenham Hotspur thus far in the 2021/22 season. As a result, Spurs have struggled for goals and consistent form.
While Heung-Min Son has shown his tremendous value to the club, for Tottenham to really go anywhere and contend for the top four this season, Harry Kane needs to be firing. With the idea of getting Kane back in the goals and top form, here are a few ways to get hattrick Harry going again.
Spurs need to improve the service for Kane
Harry Kane has missed three big chances this season, tied for fourth-most in the Premier League, according to the EPL website. That volume of missed opportunities is not indicative of how many chances Kane really has had this season in League play. For comparison, Mohamed Salah has missed four big chances, tied for the most in the League.
Alternative to those four missed big chances Salah has six goals, whereas Kane has none. This is not about ability as much as it is the opportunity, where Tottenham must improve.
Salah lead the league in missed chances, goals, and you guessed it shots as well, with 28 attempts according to the Premier League. By comparison, Kane has only 15 shots on the season, the 21st most in the League.
The shot differential between Salah and Kane really comes down to approach and execution. Liverpool consistently uses two weapons Spurs consistently do not, through balls and crosses. The Reds are first in the league in crosses and through balls, which contributes to all those opportunities for Salah and company.
Tottenham needs to use the through ball
Spurs are 14th in the league with 11 total through balls on the season. Through seven matches that is 1.5 through balls per game. In all likelihood, it is Kane playing that ball to Son more than someone playing it to Kane to create an opportunity for the striker to score.
By comparison, Liverpool has played 36 through balls, which equates to more than 5 per match and is more than three times as many as Spurs play.
It is not just Liverpool who approach matches looking to get behind the defense, between the lines. Manchester City is right behind Liverpool with 35 through seven matches. Manchester United and Chelsea are then third and fourth in through balls, making the top four teams currently in the table the top four teams in through balls – just in different orders.
The point is, Tottenham needs to be utilizing a basic tactic to their advantage to create opportunities for Kane and his teammates. Likewise, Spurs should take another queue from Liverpool.
Tottenham still does not cross the ball
One of our biggest complaints with the way Jose Mourinho approached matches, which has continued with Nuno Espirito Santo, is an absence of crosses into the box.
Under Mauricio Pochettino, getting service into the box was a hallmark of Spurs’ approach. As players have moved on and leadership has changed, the aggressive nature of a crossing attack has left the club.
Tottenham is 19th in the league with only 94 crosses on the season, or 13.4 per game, according to the EPL. Who leads the league in crosses, Liverpool of course, with a staggering 195 crosses, which is more than twice Spurs total.
Crossing that much is not necessarily a recipe for success, Burnley is second in the league with 194 crosses but is currently in the relegation zone in the real table. However, Burnley is more the exception than the rule, there are five other teams with more than 150 crosses who are all in the top half of the table.
This is not to say Tottenham needs to be all through balls and crosses, however, getting some service to Harry Kane is the best long-term way to get the talisman back in the goals.
Here are two more ways to get Kane going.