Report reveals ‘theory’ inside Tottenham regarding Harry Kane’s position

The Athletic have revealed that some at Tottenham Hotspur believe Harry Kane’s deployment in a deeper role has ‘gone too far’.

Under Jose Mourinho last season, Kane took up a deeper role, with Son Heung-min often making runs in-behind the opposition backline when the striker dropped to receive the ball.

That certainly helped the England captain’s numbers as he finished with the most goals and most assists in the Premier League last season.

However, following his failed move to Manchester City in the summer, the striker has made a lacklustre start to this campaign.

The 28-year-old received some scathing criticism for his display in the 3-0 loss to Chelsea last Sunday, with some pundits accusing him of dropping too deep.

That certainly was not the case in the Carabao Cup clash against Wolves on Wednesday as Kane played as a more traditional number nine, helping hold up the ball and winning flick-ons for the likes of Giovani Lo Celso and Bryan Gil to run on to.

Most importantly, Kane also got on the scoresheet as he tucked away Dele Alli’s through ball with typical ruthlessness to break his goal drought.

The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke has now explored Kane’s best position in an article titled ‘The Harry Kane conundrum: Should Tottenham’s No 10 become a No 9 again?’.

In the piece, Pitt-Brooke reveals that even inside Spurs, there is a theory that Kane’s use in a deeper role has been overdone.

The journalist explains that some feel Tottenham miss a focal point upfront when Kane drops off looking for the ball and the side are thus unable to get up the pitch.

So despite the England captain being more influential in a deeper role, some reportedly feel that the team is blunted when the striker plays as a ten rather than as a traditional number nine.

Spurs Web Opinion

Nuno evidently thought that Kane could offer the team more in a deeper role against Chelsea as the Spurs boss started him off the left, with Son playing down the middle.

I would argue that the experiment worked in the first half, with Son’s pace stretching the Chelsea backline and giving the Spurs midfielders more space to operate.

However, what was puzzling was the fact that Nuno did not change things in the second half despite us looking toothless in attack.

After Kane’s impressive performance at the Molineux on Wednesday, I expect the Portuguese coach to use him down the middle against Arsenal on Sunday.

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