IF Manchester City believe simply nullifying Harry Kane will stop Tottenham, they could be left red-faced in north London.
Right now, trying to predict where and how Kane will play is like predicting the weather – and it is a completely different matter actually trying to execute your plan.
England skipper Harry Kane is offering Tottenham variety and menace up front, with his goals, assists and the way he brings others into playCredit: Reuters
Son Heung-Min and on-loan Gareth Bale are benefiting from frontman Harry Kane’s ability to feed Tottenham’s’ raiders out wide Credit: Getty Images – Getty
Kane is proving to be an all-round centre forward, unlike anyone else in the game right now, with the amount of goals he scores and creates from deep or in the box.
Eight assists and seven goals in eight games is incredible, and he has recently been producing those sorts of numbers from a false nine position.
From there he can release the likes of Son Heung-Min and Gareth Bale cutting in off their flanks with devastating accuracy.
Harry Kane moved level with Michael Owen after scoring against West Brom
In an ideal world, with City likely to opt for a 4-2-3-1 – like they did against Liverpool with Ilkay Gundogan and Rodri – one of the defensive midfielders will pick him up.
But with the way Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham side play, they will then be left with a dilemma of marking one No.10 in Kane or another in Giovani Lo Celso.
And if one of City’s central defenders decides to step up to deal with him, then there will be a gaping hole for the likes of Son and Bale to gallop into.
A deep-lying Kane with his back to goal with the ball is hardly easy to deal with either, who can turn even the best of players before putting the ball on a pedestal for a teammate.
But City’s problems do not stop there. It is highly likely they are going to dominate the ball in the middle of the park, and Mourinho will welcome it.
None of this “parking the bus” nonsense; a label unfairly flung at Mourinho, but instead sitting deep and luring teams into a trap before unleashing their counter attacking weapon.
With the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Phil Foden covering ground centrally, Kane also has the ability to drop off and take up a higher position as a focal point.
Man City chief Pep Guardiola will need to nullify a second-placed Spurs side with many attacking options through their 4-2-2-2 formationCredit: Getty Images – Getty
So, when the transition does take place, and Toby Alderweireld or Eric Dier are given the chance to launch the ball to their skipper, City will suddenly find themselves scrambling back to stop the likes of Son and Bale linking up from the loose ball.
Of course, Pep Guardiola’s City are the masters of the tactical foul, and they will most certainly use it to good effect.
But it may not be enough against a Tottenham team that now have so many threats in what could be described as a 4-2-2-2.
Within that is the box created by centre backs Alderweireld and Dier and defensive midfielders Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Moussa Sissoko – a solid foundation on which to build.
Great credit should go to Mourinho for not only making this Tottenham team a more physical and gritty presence, but also one that is more balanced in both defence and attack.
This will be a real test of their potential title credentials, but they are up against a City side who – for all their critics at the back – have one of the best defensive records in the league.
But they also have one of the worst scoring records, with even West Ham putting more balls in the net so far this season.
And with the likes of Sergio Aguero lacking sharpness and doubts over Raheem Sterling’s fitness, their attempts to become more of an attacking threat could see themselves land in Mourinho’s low-block trap.
And when Tottenham win the ball back, the big question on the minds of the City players will be: Where is Harry Kane?
Michael Owen says that Harry Kane will not leave Tottenham because of his huge transfer fee and age
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
