Alasdair Gold expects Harry Kane to continue to take his fair share of free-kicks this season despite Tottenham appointing Gianni Vio as their set-piece coach.
Kane’s free-kicks have been a source of much consternation for Spurs fans over the last few years, with the 29-year-old regularly either blasting it into the wall or over the bar from good positions.
Spurs have not been a threat on direct free-kicks since Christian Eriksen left the club and fans will be hoping to see changes with Vio joining Antonio Conte’s coaching staff this summer.
According to The Sun, the Italian has created 4,830 set-piece unique routines and wrote a thesis called ‘Set pieces: the 15-goal striker’, which later influenced the best-selling book ‘That Extra 30 Per Cent’, authored by Rob Yeung.
Gold said that while he expects Vio to improve the club’s set-piece play, he suggested that Kane is unlikely to be completely pulled away from free-kick duty.
When asked in a Q&A on Football.London if Conte will do something his predecessors have not and take Kane off free-kick duty, the journalist responded:
“Gianni Vio is at the club now and working on set-pieces with the team so we’ll see plenty of variety with the free-kicks and corners in the weeks and months ahead as they learn what he wants and he fits his 4,830 different routines to them.
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“Kane will take some, he did score in pre-season albeit via a deflection, but plenty of others will take them as well. I’d like to see Son and Dier take more of the direct ones.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Vio’s set-piece variations will primarily revolve around in-direct set pieces and corner kicks. I do not expect too many variations when it comes to direct free-kicks just outside the box.
While Kane has a fantastic shooting technique, direct freekicks are a very specific kind of skill set that requires one to get the ball over the wall and dip under the post. The England captain clearly has not go that in his locker.
Even though Son has scored some freekicks for South Korea recently, I would prefer Dier to be on direct free-kicks as it is clear that the centre-back has the technique required. I also would like to see Kulusevski take them if the angle favours a left-footer.
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