Harry Kane’s return to action can put Tottenham back in contention for a top four finish
It has been a difficult season for Tottenham Hotspur so far. From the poor start to the campaign, which ended up with Mauricio Pochettino’s sacking and the exit from cup competitions, things have looked bleak.
Amidst all this, our Premier League campaign has also derailed, with hopes of our Champions League qualification hanging by a thread. Tottenham are currently eighth in the league table, seven points behind Chelsea in fourth and two below sixth-placed Wolves.
Reasons behind struggles
It is no secret that defensive problems have plagued us throughout the season. Things were expected to improve under Jose Mourinho, given his reputation of building solid teams but that has not been the case.
Injuries to key players, particularly in attack, has hurt Tottenham. We have had to make do without chief goal-scoring threat Harry Kane for almost two months. Son Heung-min and January arrival Steven Bergwijn were also sidelined to make matters worse.
This has been a huge reason for Tottenham falling behind in the race for the top-four finish. But is there a ray of light at the end of the tunnel for Jose Mourinho & co.?
Kane’s timely return could make the difference
Kane was initially expected to return to action towards the end of April (h/t Football.London). That would have meant he would have been able to play just a couple of games in the run-in. By that time, any lingering hopes of a top-four finish would have completely faded.
However, the Premier League has now been suspended until April 30 due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The season has been postponed and extended indefinitely, with the action set to resume in the first week of May at the earliest.
By this time, Kane is expected to be fit and firing again (h/t Football.London) and should play a part in our remaining nine fixtures of the season. This should provide Tottenham with a much-needed boost to push for a top-four finish when the season returns.
Kane has been our top goalscorer this season with 17 goals in 25 matches across all competitions. Eleven of those have come in the Premier League. The 26-year-old has been directly involved in a goal every 136 minutes in the Premier League.
Tottenham are yet to play Leicester City and Arsenal – two teams that Kane has a prolific record against. Our chances in the games against West Ham United and Bournemouth, both of whom are involved in the relegation battle, ought to significantly improve with Kane in our ranks.
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Kane’s return to action should also lead to a confidence boost across the squad. With him back on the field, Tottenham stand a much greater chance of winning. And with games against Manchester United and Sheffield United pending, positive results there should put us back in contention for a top-four finish.
