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Harry Kane – The Real Deal

If one were to ask regular Premier League watchers who has been the standout emerging star of the season so far, the unanimous answer will be Harry Kane.

Indeed the toast of the 2014/15 season so far has been Harry Kane. He has been prolific, netting at will and his displays have seemingly galvanised the Spurs into performing better than they were at the start of the season. As a Chelsea fan I witnessed first-hand Kane’s prowess in the embarrassment that the Blues faced at White Hart Lane. Kane was seemingly impossible to handle. He was everywhere, out wide, inside the penalty box, helping out his side defensively, overall it was a complete game by the youngster.

Harry Kane Real Deal

Kane, bred at the Lane, has been having a standout year in terms of personal achievement. After coming through Spurs’ academy, he spent time out on loan before getting his crack in the Europa League this season. Since then, he hasn’t looked back. He has been scoring at a very healthy rate and despite the goalkeeping gaffe against Asteras Tripolis where he also scored a hattrick, hasn’t put a foot wrong. While Chelsea fans will long remember this week’s match at the Lane, Kane had made a solid impression when the Spurs visited Stamford Bridge last month. He very nearly scored a scintillating header and was a pain in the rear for the defence throughout the game.

Kane Dashboard

I will pick up this week’s match against Chelsea to highlight how good he is as a player. First of all, despite the terrific scoring rate, he is not a poacher. And this game was the perfect example of his all-round ability as he scored two and set up another two goals. His first goal was a moment of brilliance. He waltzed his way past the Chelsea defence and evaded Oscar long enough until he got the space to have a snap shot at goal. As the commentator pointed out, Kane is one of the best at taking snap shots past the face of goal, into the corner of the goal in the United Kingdom.

He also showed how well his footballing brain is as he baited Cahill perfectly into fouling him inside the box. While the ball was moving away from goal, Cahill had already committed to a clearance as Kane accelerated and placed himself between the ball and Cahill’s foot. His second goal was taken from such a narrow angle that the finish reminded everybody of former Spurs sensation Teddy Sheringham. That is how much he has wowed everyone that comparisons are already being drawn to a club legend. His pressing and workrate is also very well received at the Lane as he has now made himself indispensable to Pochettino’s system.

Stats-1

While assessing his returns, we will use the metrics on a per 90 minute basis as they are the best way to gauge the numbers. Also, only Premier League stats have been considered because there is a huge variance in team quality in the Europa League. And even in the Premier League, Kane has been scoring at a highly impressive rate of 0.63 goals per 90 minutes, scoring roughly two goals every three games. His versatility is also shown by the fact that though he takes a total of 3.53 shots in a game, with about half, 1.81, from inside the box.

Stats-2

The goalscoring numbers were good, but these numbers are what take the cake. Such vision from a striker hasn’t been seen in the Premier League since Luis Suarez took his talents to Catalonia in the summer. Kane has always spotted a run before it has been made. Perhaps it is the striker’s instinct that he himself has that has let him do so, but he is also Spurs’ primary creative outlet. With 0.18 assists to his name, Kane creates an average of 1.09 chances per 90 minutes. He also plays 0.91 key passes in that time, showing how good he is with the ball at his feet.

Stats-3

Speaking of being good with the ball at his feet, Kane averaged 2.17 successful take-ons every 90 minutes, which is a tremendous return from a player who is already doing so much. He is a very good dribbler, as he showed against Chelsea. He is no slouch in the air either, winning 1.72 balls in the air, often hoofed at him by Hugo Lloris who is so good with his ball distribution. I had said earlier that Kane has a tendency to help his team out when the opponent has the ball. Well, these numbers act as testament to that statement as Kane averages 1.45 successful tackles each 90 minutes he plays. Very often these tackles come in the opposition’s half and such turnovers are key to a rapid counter attack. Also, 1.45 tackles from a striker that is! It’s an insanely high number!

Harry Kane is young and he still probably has to prove his credentials in a more consistent manner, but I have no qualms in saying that in him Spurs have found the real deal. He is the goalscoring messiah they sought when they signed Roberto Soldado and Emmanuel Adebayor. Unlike Soldado, he isn’t shy of scoring and unlike Adebayor, he bleeds lily-white. Spurs are really lucky to have him and he can surely lead them to a top-4 finish this season.

Author’s Note: The Statistics for this article have been sourced from Squawka while the infographic detailing the Tottenham vs Chelsea game is courtesy FourFourTwo.

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