Harry Kane admits West Ham result was a ‘wake-up’ call that prompted an inquest

Harry Kane has admitted that throwing away two points against West Ham three weeks ago proved to be a wake-up call for the Spurs squad.

Tottenham’s defending received a lot of criticism after they managed to concede three goals in the final ten minutes against the Hammers after being 3-0 up.

Since that result, there has been a marked improvement in Spurs’ defending, with Jose Mourinho’s men conceding just once in their last three Premier League matches against Burnley, Brighton and West Brom.

Even the goal they conceded against Brighton arguably should have been ruled out for a foul on Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the build-up.

Kane revealed that the players had a chat about how to manage games better once they take the lead following their disaster against West Ham.

Speaking about the 3-3 draw, the Tottenham striker told The Daily Mail: “It was a wake-up call. We played so well, the game was comfortable.

“To concede three goals like we did was a shock to everyone. We’re going to be ahead in games, whether it’s by one goal, two goals, three goals. We need to make sure that we see it out better.

“It’s down to us on the pitch as players: talking, leading, whether it’s taking time on the pitch or keeping the ball or keeping the ball in the corner. Just being better at handling those situations.

“We had a little chat among a few of us as players and just said that if we’re getting in these situations again, we need to do better.

“I think we’ve seen that against Burnley and against Brighton. There’s going to be times in the season when it’s going to happen again and we need to make sure we’re all on the same wavelength to get over the line.’

The England captain admitted that there are now more leaders in the Spurs changing room and players with experience of winning major trophies, which will hold the team in good stead for a potential title charge.

Kane added: “It’s great to have people like Gareth and Harty, who have won the biggest trophies around the world, to have them in the squad, on the pitch, around the training room, talking to the boys. They’re good leaders to have in the dressing room.

‘”I feel like that’s what we need to push all the way [for the title]. We’ve got a lot of experience and we tell each other how it is when we’re doing well and when we’re not doing well. We have a manager who does the same.

“So we need to make sure we keep picking up points when we’re maybe not playing well or at our highest level, because we know when we do that, we can score three, four, five goals as we have done this season. There’s a long way to go but we’re feeling confident so far.”

Spurs Web Opinion

In hindsight, the last ten minutes against West Ham very much seems like a freak occurrence rather than a symptom of a bigger defensive issue. Even up until that game, we had displayed an ability to manage games well. It is impossible to legislate for a set-piece goal, an own goal and a wonder-strike within minutes of each other. The one positive is that it happened early in the season which has allowed us to learn from our mistakes and ensure that it does not happen again.

Related Topics