Tottenham without Harry Kane…how has it gone so far?

Harry Kane left Tottenham Hotspur after 19 years at the club to go to Bayern Munich almost two weeks ago. It was a £120 million move and Spurs fans were left distraught with the main thing on their minds being how Tottenham would perform losing their record goal scorer.

So far, they have performed well with one draw and one win. The first game was Brentford away which ended 2-2. The second game was Manchester United at home in which they managed to secure a 2-0 win. Although it is very early on in the season, this is still promising.

Despite losing their main striker, Spurs have managed to bag 4 goals in the first 2 games.

One from Christian Romero, one from Emerson Royal, one from Pape Matar Sarr with the last being an own goal. This shows that other players have been able to step up and get the goals in when needed, even defenders for example Romero and Emerson.

Initially, the main players who were expected to step up in the absence of Kane were Richarlison (the striker signed last season) and the new captain Heung-min Son, however they have not stood out much so far. Richarlison only scored one goal last season which is why Spurs fans don’t particulary see him as being a true Kane replacement. Son on the other hand has always been great for spurs but this has been in partnership with Harry Kane – they were the deadliest duo in the Premier League getting a record number of 37 combinations together.

One reason why Richarlison may not be performing at his best is due to the amount of pressure he could feel. Harry Kane is a world class striker and has the second most goals in the Premier League, anyone would feel pressure taking his place. He needs to build up his confidence again and not put pressure on himself to be an identical replacement for Kane as that is almost impossible.

Tottenham’s midfield on the other hand has looked very promising which has helped make up for the less prominent forwards. New signing James Maddison has been outstanding so far creating multiple chances and providing 2 assists in Spurs’ opening game v Brentford. He was also voted as man of the match by fans which shows how valued he already is.

Yves Bissouma is another player who has looked outstanding so far. He didn’t get many minutes last season due to injury and manager at the time Antonio Conte not choosing him. In the opening two games of this season however, he has continuously been available and his ability to drive forward has looked very strong too. He had the second most touches v Manchester United and was voted joint player of the match along with Sarr.

The youngster Pape Matar Sarr has also been great particularly against Manchester United on Saturday. He scored his first ever goal for the club and again looked very stable in midfield. He managed to drive forward and have the most shots in that game for Tottenham (five), but also managed to defend and shut down the United counter attacks when needed.

Finally in midfield, Dejan Kulusevski looks strong. Last season he secured 2 goals and 7 assists in 30 appearances and looked like one of Tottenham’s best players. Although he hasn’t got anything yet this season, he has put some great crosses into the box and has the potential to increase his goal and assist tally over the course of the season.

New manager Ange Postecoglou has added freshness to the club. The fact that Kane has left bizarrely could actually benefit him due to the fact that he can have a fresh start with the whole squad. Kane was always a focus point under Spurs’ previous managers so the fact that Ange can have a clean slate could be great. It is also good for him that Kane left before the start of the season because he at least doesn’t have to deal with any uncertainty now.

Tottenham fans have enjoyed watching the past couple of games, it has felt more positive and the toxicity that crept in under Mourinho and Conte has been eliminated. Postecoglou’s style of football is different and it’s refreshing to see.

Although it is very early on in the season, Spurs fans have been surprised at how well their club has played without their main striker. There are still questions such as, will Richarlison or Son step up? Will a new striker come in? Will Tottenham get as many goals as previous seasons? The answers to these questions will only become clearer throughout the rest of the season.