Tottenham are unlikely to start Harry Kane at Burnley
Harry Kane almost certainly won’t be in Tottenham’s starting XI at Burnley, but look for the English striker to make Mauricio Pochettino’s bench.
Tottenham will head to Burnley on Saturday with every intention of keeping their hot streak going. Spurs will certainly be buoyed by Harry Kane’s return, but it’s very unlikely he’ll be in the starting XI at Turf Moor.
Per usual, Mauricio Pochettino is being very vague about his plans for the weekend. He insists that Kane believes he was ready to play 10 days ago, but the Argentine gaffer stopped well short of guaranteeing his involvement on Saturday. He did admit that Kane could start or come off the bench if he continues to train well this week.
Expect Pochettino to play things right down the middle with Kane on Saturday. Putting him back into the starting XI so soon after his return to first team training would be risky. Kane is a brilliant striker, but he’s been in and out of the Spurs lineup due to ankle issues over the past several seasons. The club need to make sure he’s fully fit before they allow him to step out onto the pitch against a Premier League opponent.
On the other hand, Spurs are still squarely on the fringes of the Premier League title race. Dropping points at Burnley would be a bitter pill for the club to swallow. Clearly, Tottenham are a better side with a healthy Kane on the pitch.
Pochettino’s side should have enough attacking firepower to overcome Burnley even without Kane. The club could opt to play Fernando Llorente as a traditional No. 9, or they could trust Lucas Moura and Heung-Min Son to lead the line as they did against Dortmund. That decision comes down to how Pochettino believes the Clarets can best be attacked.
Keeping Kane on the bench as a potential trump card will be too tempting for Pochettino to pass up though. Even if he’s not fit enough to play a full 90 minutes, he could give Tottenham a massive lift from the substitute’s bench. His mere presence on the pitch is enough to lift the spirits and energy levels of his fellow attackers.
Next. Tottenham should let Arsenal win transfer battle. dark
In the end, Saturday is just a bit too soon for Kane to rejoin the starting XI. Instead, Pochettino will save him on the bench in case of emergency. In a perfect world, Tottenham won’t need him quite yet.