Tottenham’s Harry Kane has made the headlines week in week out this season, but not always for his goals or impressive on-pitch displays.
What has really caught the eye is (like in this SkySports article) the idea that Kane has been struggling with fatigue, after a long season with Tottenham, as well as captaining England to the World Cup semi-finals.
This means that Kane has only had one summer off in four seasons, thanks to the World Cup, Euros, and U21 tournaments.
However, despite criticism, Kane finally broke his August hoodoo this season with goals against Fulham and Manchester United in his unlucky month.
The Spurs striker actually currently sits as the joint second leading goal scorer in the Prem, with only Eden Hazard scoring more than him this season.
So, is Kane really playing that badly after all?
It’s true that Kane did look lumbering at times in the early parts of the season, but his performance against Huddersfield this weekend showed the main man back to his best.
The striker was fast, physical, sharp and lethal, and you can be sure to expect more on Wednesday night against Barcelona.
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One man who believes that the criticism aimed at Kane is unfair is ex-Spurs defender Sebastien Bassong.
Bassong told The Daily Star: “He’s been criticised for no reason because that’s how football is.
“Harry’s been at the top now for the last few years, banging in goals week in and week out.
“He’s been a regular, he’s been playing the World Cup, he’s been captain at the World Cup.
“What else can you ask from Harry? He’s still young and I’m sure he’s still got a lot to do and he’s not going to disappoint you guys.
“So, what do I make of this criticism? I don’t make anything, honestly, I don’t even listen to them and I hope he doesn’t as well.
On his old club’s top four chances, Bassong said: “It’s the start of the season so I can’t really judge at the moment. The season is long, especially in the Premier League and they’ve got the Champions League as well. But so far the start isn’t too bad.
“Now people have got expectations from Spurs, a lot of expectations, so I think they’ve got the players to back that expectation and they’ll do a good season.
“I’m not worried about them and I’ve got my faith and trust in them. I think they’ll be contenders for the top four, definitely they’ll be in there.
“There’s loads of good teams in there, it’s getting tougher and tougher.
“But I think they have the experience and they haven’t changed the squad so they know each other, they’ve been working together for a long time and I think that’ll pay off.
“They had a great season last season and I don’t know if they’ll better it this season because I’m not really good for gambling and for predictions.
“But I’m sure they’ll do their best and that it’ll pay off.”
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