Harry Kane is leading the line for Antonio Conte this season and only 18 goals are required
for the Englishman to become Tottenham’s all-time highest goalscorer. The inevitability for
Kane to beat the longstanding record of Jimmy Greaves, who scored 266 goals for Spurs,
shows he is a lot more than a ‘one season wonder.’
Harry Kane has exhibited exceptional consistency since making a name for himself under the
reign of Mauricio Pochettino. The England captain has annually scored over 20 goals since
the 2014/15 season, the same year he also claimed the PFA Young Player of the Year award.
Since then, he has gone on to claim many individual accolades, including 3 Premier League
Golden Boots, 1 Premier League Playmaker of the Year and has received an MBE for services
to football. He is also the top scorer at the most recent World Cup, a title he will look to
retain in Qatar this year.
Despite his undoubted ability, the Walthamstow born striker has never been one to start a
season all guns blazing, and the 2021/22 season was no exception. Last season started
poorly after Kane’s potential move to Manchester City was out of the question due to his
contract not having a release clause and Daniel Levy’s high valuation. This led to Spurs fans
demonstrating what he will miss when the two sides met on opening day, with the
Lilywhites claiming a 1-0 home victory. Micah Richards described this game as one of the
best atmospheres he had ever experienced. It was only following Antonio Conte’s
appointment when we began to see the version of Harry Kane we were used to. This means
the Italian has something to work on.
Tottenham recently concluded their pre-season tour around the world, with Kane managing
5 goals in 4 games, showing sharp movement and impressive agility in the process. This is a
promising start to the year for the Englishman but we must also remember some
Tottenham strikers have also been notoriously better in pre-season instead of when it
matters.
Darren Bent once scored 13 goals in pre-season, which followed with Spurs starting off the
season with just two points from five games. We must also remember Vincent Janssen once
scored an open play goal during pre-season, so the meaning of goals in these friendlies
could not be much lower.
However, the way in which Kane has performed in these games indicates he is raring to go
for the new season. Since Conte has revamped the DNA of the previously decaying Spurs
squad, the seven time Premier League Player of the Month winner has appeared to be in
the best physical condition of his life.
The pressing from the front since Conte’s arrival has required peak fitness levels from the
front three, with Harry Kane refusing to give up on anything that could fall in his team’s
favour. This will feature in Spurs’ play next year, along with clinical counter-attacking, with
Kane playing a vital role in all moves going forward.
Whether it be dropping in to create space for wing-backs to overlap and combine, or
poaching crosses from wide areas as a target man, Kane is a striker that guarantees goals.
The addition of Ivan Perisic could be crucial to more goals coming from these two attacking
styles. The Champions League winner bombs forward with the capacity to deliver into the
box, or even notch himself, giving Conte another dimension to utilise Kane with optimal
efficiency.
The former Leyton Orient loanee is also renowned worldwide for his record breaking
partnership with Heung-Min Son, who is also in contention for the Golden Boot this year.
With all this being said, Harry Kane is one of the greatest strikers of this generation and I
wouldn’t be surprised if he was to have one of his best ever seasons under Antonio Conte.
The form the England captain sparked under Jose Mourinho showed that world class
managers operate well with world class players. Conte is a phenomenal manager and he has
incredible attacking options with Kane at the heart of it; everyone at the club will be hoping
his common injuries are avoided. This is pivotal for Tottenham and their chances of ending
their trophy drought this season.
The 29 year-old will be chasing the Tottenham and Premier League goal scoring records
which are very realistic targets. However, with the addition of Darwin Nunez and Erling
Haaland, the Golden Boot this season will be one of the hardest individual awards to attain.
If anyone is a more complete striker than the £200 million worth of firepower acquired by
Liverpool and Manchester City, it is the priceless prowess of Harry Kane.
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