Mourinho anticipates 'sharper' Kane

Spurs boss Jose Mourinho is pleased with the form of his striker Harry Kane (right). The Englishman scored in the 2-0 win over West Ham after a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Spurs boss Jose Mourinho is pleased with the form of his striker Harry Kane (right). The Englishman scored in the 2-0 win over West Ham after a lengthy spell on the sidelines. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

LONDON • Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho has backed Harry Kane, saying that "the sharpness is coming" for his striker.

The 26-year-old scored in their 2-0 win over West Ham last week. He had been coming off a long layoff since undergoing surgery for rupturing his hamstring in January.

Mourinho was happy with the Englishman's performance, but also insisted that Kane does more than score goals.

Speaking ahead of today's Premier League trip to Sheffield United, the Portuguese said: "In the game before the first goal, I think it was minute 60, we had a defensive corner and Harry Kane was in the box on a defensive corner.

"I think 10 or 11 seconds later he was in front of (West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz) Fabianksi with a left-footed shot that was almost a goal in the far post.

"Minute 60 after six months (out) he made a 100m sprint and he did that for two matches. The agility is coming, the sharpness is coming, the positioning is coming.

"So for me he did very, very well for the team. When the guy doesn't score many goals you think there is a crisis. But there is no crisis, there is an improvement."

Tottenham, on 45 points, are just a point ahead of Sheffield. Both teams are still chasing a European spot. Spurs are seven points behind fifth-placed Manchester United with seven games to play.

Despite the mere margins separating today's opponents, Tottenham and Sheffield have turned the tables on each other following the coronavirus-enforced break.

Chris Wilder's men were enjoying a good run of just one loss in 10 games across all competitions, while they are now winless in four, with three defeats, since the restart.

Spurs were on the worst run of Mourinho's managerial career pre-lockdown with five losses and a draw, but have since taken four points from two big games against Manchester United and West Ham.

Mourinho will hope to continue their unbeaten streak. He added: "Our feeling is that we are improving, we are more stable and the team is getting better.

"That's why I'm saying independent of results and the table, I think when we start next pre-season we will be a better team than we are today."

He has no fresh injury concerns, with only defenders Juan Foyth and Japhet Tanganga still out.

Wilder has urged his side not to make defensive errors, especially after they allowed Arsenal to score a late winner in their 2-1 FA Cup quarter-final defeat on Sunday.

"I'm just really looking for a positive performance that gives us a chance of winning, we're shooting ourselves in the foot a little bit," he told reporters.

"The errors are uncharacteristic, we have to cut out these errors. It's world-class players we're up against, not the dog and duck."

Sheffield are hoping that centre-back Jack O'Connell will be fit for the game.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 02, 2020, with the headline Mourinho anticipates 'sharper' Kane. Subscribe