Playing for 90
Fansided

Tottenham must rest Harry Kane against Real Madrid

By Rucker Haringey

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 22: Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur looks on during the wamr up prior to the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool at Wembley Stadium on October 22, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 22: Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur looks on during the wamr up prior to the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool at Wembley Stadium on October 22, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Tottenham must be careful with their star

There’s no question that Tottenham fans are desperate to see Harry Kane play against Real Madrid at Wembley this week. Unfortunately, Mauricio Pochettino and Daniel Levy have to look at the bigger picture. Once they do, it’s clear that Kane should sit out the match against the La Liga giants.

As it stands, Pochettino has been entirely non-committal about his star striker’s chances of playing against Los Blancos. The Spurs boss claims that Kane will be evaluated right up until match day to see if he’s fit enough to participate.

The temptation to risk Kane against Zinedine Zidane’s squad will be great. Tottenham have a unique opportunity to grab control of their Champions League group if they can dispatch their Spanish opponents at Wembley. A win against Real Madrid would put Spurs three points clear of the defending Champions League winners on top of their group. That would be a special accomplishment for a side that struggled so mightily in the competition last season.

In truth, Spurs should be more focused on making it to the Knockout Round with a healthy Kane. Provided Pochettino’s squad can win at home against APOEL, it’s hard to see them missing out on advancing. Even a loss at home to Real Madrid wouldn’t significantly diminish the club’s chances of finishing second in the group.

More from Tottenham Hotspur

That’s precisely why Spurs should use discretion with Kane this week. If he’s anything short of 100% fit, he has to be given extra rest. Hamstring strains aren’t anything to mess around with. If he plays against Real Madrid and aggravates the knock, he could miss months of action. An absence of that length could torpedo Tottenham’s hopes of really competing for a Premier League or Champions League title.

That’s why I’m hoping to see Fernando Llorente get the start against Real Madrid. Yes, there’s a big part of me that wants to see Tottenham go toe-to-toe with arguably the most talented club in the world. It could represent a truly unique fixture for Spurs.

Next: Tottenham looking to beat Barcelona for Ajax star

In the end, there’s a bigger part of me that wants to see a healthy Kane play for Pochettino all season long. Spurs aren’t a one man team, but they just aren’t the same without their English talisman leading the attack. If the club are forced to sacrifice the Real Madrid match to ensure Kane’s full recovery, it’s an easy decision to leave him out on Wednesday.

Home/Tottenham Hotspur