Neil Humphreys: Don't flog Kane now
England's World Cup hope looks tired and needs rest
Harry Kane slipped. It happens. He's human.
But the nature of the miss was more worrying than the end result.
Tottenham Hotspur's greatest chance of FA Cup glory and England's best hope of World Cup progress looks exhausted.
In the first half against Brighton yesterday morning (Singapore time), he shaped to smash Christian Eriksen's short free-kick, but he stumbled. He scuffed his strike and the ball rolled towards the 'keeper.
The miss epitomised his recent performances: well-meaning, but laboured and out-of-sorts. Kane seems shattered.
He insisted otherwise after scoring another English Premier League goal in the 1-1 draw - his 26th of the season - but he gave the impression of a weary traveller trudging through treacle.
Mauricio Pochettino took a calculated risk against Brighton, dropping six regulars ahead of the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United, but the bigger gamble may prove to be his reliance on Kane.
Tottenham's quest for their first silverware in a decade, their Champions League qualification and the Three Lions' safe passage in Russia all depend, to a large degree, on the form of a 24-year-old striker who looked a lot older in his post-match interview.
In resting Dele Alli, Kane's support act, Pochettino essentially doubled the work-load of a centre forward still labouring for full fitness.
Kane's imposing presence has yet to return after suffering ankle-ligament damage last month. Rather than rest, however, he found himself doing the work of two men against Brighton, dropping into central midfield to collect possession.
Without Alli, Kane sought to play both No.9 and No.10 and ended up succeeding in neither, finishing with an average six for his match rating.
After the game, the honest toiler admitted he drifted into midfield because his own influence was waning, a typically fair assessment, but there was a touch of desperation in his play.
Like a stalled speedster, Kane continues to crunch towards a higher gear that isn't quite there. He's aware of the ticking clock and the season-defining fixtures coming for both Tottenham and England and he's trying too hard.
An unfortunate combination of Kane's ego and Pochettino's pragmatism might prove counter-productive.
The striker's single-minded eagerness to win the Golden Boot - he's still four behind Mo Salah - is admirable, even if his recent attempts to claim every goal-bound effort have slipped into parody.
Of course Kane wants every goal. It's the instinctive demand of the selfish striker.
He also presumably wants to be picked every week. But that's a demand only a fully fit striker can make.
Kane isn't. What he is, on the other hand, is streets ahead of the competition in a limited Spurs squad alarmingly short on depth.
Pochettino has alternatives for Alli and Moussa Dembele. Lucas Moura and Moussa Sissoko are not quite their equal, but they are adequate stand-ins.
But Pochettino must mind the gap between Kane and Fernando Llorente. He knows it's a chasm.
Even as Spurs chased victory against Brighton and Kane was evidently dead on his feet, Llorente still didn't replace the fatigued forward until the 85th minute.
The swop was too little too late, indicative of a jittery manager hedging his bets on the staying power of a superlative striker running on empty.
Kane deserves tremendous credit for playing the Duracell Bunny for this long. His boyish enthusiasm and infectious energy make him such a popular footballer in the modern game.
He stands as a kind of endearing antithesis to Paul Pogba, a player who commits to every minute of every game, regardless of the opposition or the occasion.
But the Brighton game was his 41st of the season. Kane prides himself on his fitness, but he has led the line for Tottenham, pretty much single-handedly, for nine months in four competitions, domestically and across Europe.
Whatever the outcome of the FA Cup semi-final, both Kane and Pochettino have a difficult decision to make.
Tottenham's last four league matches are against Watford, Newcastle and Leicester and West Brom. The first three are all at Wembley, dream fixtures for a club seeking to maintain their advantage in Champions League qualification.
Pochettino isn't obligated to send a recharged centre forward to England's World Cup squad, but he surely doesn't require Kane's services in all four of those games either.
At the same time, Kane may also consider a reassessment of his priorities.
His personal battle with Salah remains entertaining, but his talent demands a top-four finish, a trophy and a memorable World Cup, in that order.
The Golden Boot is always welcome. But Kane should keep his eyes on the prizes that really matter.
EPL GOLDEN BOOT RACE
30 GOALS
- Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
26 GOALS
- Harry Kane (Tottenham)
21 GOALS
- Sergio Aguero (Man City)
17 GOALS
- Raheem Sterling (Man City), Jamie Vardy (Leicester)
REMAINING EPL GAMES
LIVERPOOL
- Saturday - v West Brom (A)
- April 28 - v Stoke (H)
- May 6 - v Chelsea (A)
- May 13 - v Brighton (H)
TOTTENHAM
- April 30 - v Watford (H)
- lMay 5 - v West Brom (A)
- May 10 - v Newcastle (H)
- lMay 13 - v Leicester (H)
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