Numbers reveal whether Harry Kane has declined over the last two years

It appears as if Harry Kane is judged by different standards to most other strikers, as there are question marks raised whenever he goes a game or two without finding the back of the net.

The striker has netted four goals in seven games since the restart and could have arguably had a couple more if VAR decisions had gone his way.

After Kane netted his 200th and 201st club goals against Newcastle United on Wednesday, Sky Sports have taken a delved deep into the striker’s numbers to judge if his form has declined.

They reveal that Kane averages 0.49 non-penalty goals per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season, a similar return to what he achieved last season.

This reportedly represents a massive drop from the 0.80 non-penalty goals per 90 minutes that the striker recorded from 2016 to 2018.

So, on the face of it, it does look like Kane is not as effective in front of goal.

However, Sky Sports note that the striker’s expected goals data remains nearly unchanged since he broke into the Spurs team, which suggests his finish ability has certainly not declined.

However, the England captain’s shots per 90 minutes and touches in the opposition box per 90 mins have almost halved over the last two years, which confirms that the striker is not getting as many goal-scoring opportunities as he used to.

They also contrast the 26-year-old’s average heat map from a couple of years ago with this season and it shows that he plays slightly deeper than he used to.

So, based on Sky’s analysis, the conclusion seems to be that Kane is just as lethal a finisher as he was a couple of years ago.

However, his role in the side has changed and Tottenham do not create as many chances to score as they used to, which is why his numbers have declined.

Spurs Web Opinion

Even without looking at these numbers, it is fairly easy to tell that Kane is playing a deeper role than he used to, while it is obvious that we are not creating as many chances as we used to since we are playing a counter-attacking style of football, as opposed to the high-press we adopted until 2018 under Pochettino.

However, the big question is if Kane has had to adapt to the tactical requirements of the team or if his injuries have taken away a bit of his explosiveness and forced him to play a bit deeper. Only those who are part of the Spurs and England set up would know the answers.

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