Ange Postecoglou has insisted that while the structure of the Tottenham team would not have changed if Harry Kane was at the club, he admitted that some dynamics would have been different, given the strengths and weaknesses of the England captain.
Spurs certainly look a much more cohesive unit than they did last season, which has got many wondering whether Kane’s departure has actually helped the Lilywhites.
Son Heung-min has stepped up to the plate and delivered as a number nine and Postecoglou’s men have not had any issues finding the back of the net, having scored 20 goals in their first nine Premier League matches.
LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 06: Harry Kane (L) of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates with team mates after scoring the team first goal of the game from the penalty spo during the pre-season friendly match between Tottenham Hotspur and Shakhtar Donetsk at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on August 06, 2023 in England. (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)
Harry Kane would have thrived under Postecoglou
However, the Spurs head coach pointed out that Kane did just fine in his system during pre-season, netting four goals in the friendly against Shakhtar Donetsk.
When asked if Tottenham would have played a different way if the England captain had stayed, the Australian told Football.London: “Yeah, not necessarily in a different way but what I’ve been trying to explain is that individuals change the way you play.
“I’m not into this commentary that we’re a better team without Harry because the last game Harry played for us he did alright in our system when he scored four goals.
“It’s fair to say we would have been able to squeeze him in somewhere. And I’m being sarcastic there. But him not being there just allows to bring different individuals into the team and they change the dynamic.”
Postecoglou explained that he would not have moved away from his clearly defined structure if Tottenham’s record goalscorer had stayed but he conceded that the team would have played slightly differently as players affect the team’s dynamics.
H continued: “Again, while the way I want my teams to play has a really clear structure, what I try to do is create a balanced squad where individuals can change the dynamics of it.
“Having Sonny as our 9 is different from having Harry or even Richy as our 9. Having Deki as a winger or having Brennan Johnson as a winger changes it, even if the structure is the same.
“Not having Harry there does change us as a team because we’re using different individuals but if Harry was still here the structure would be the same and we’d have the same fundamentals of trying to dominate the opposition, press the opposition, all those kind of things would still be there.
“Ultimately I don’t want to suppress the qualities they have, I want to bring out the best of them within the structure we have.”
Spurs Web Opinion
We simply would not have been as effective in pressing the opposition with Kane in the side as for all his strengths, pressing from the front is one of the 30-year-old’s weaknesses.
That would have meant that we had slightly less possession than we do now and we would have created fewer chances by winning the ball high up the pitch.
However, given Kane’s quality on the ball, we would have been more dangerous when we worked the ball up to the final third and we would have been more effective in converting the chances that we create.
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