Tottenham need more from Son and Eriksen after Kane’s return
Harry Kane’s return was supposed to boost Tottenham over Burnley, but instead it crowded Heung-Min Son and Christian Eriksen out of the match.
Tottenham blew a golden opportunity to announce their presence in the Premier League title race by losing to Burnley on Saturday. Harry Kane scored in his return to the Spurs lineup, but his presence on the pitch had a negative impact on both Heung-Min Son and Christian Eriksen.
In fairness to both attacking midfielders, they’ve done yeoman’s work carrying the squad’s attack in Kane’s absence. Digging them out after one bad performance at Burnley is a bit harsh. Nonetheless, it’s a big reason why Mauricio Pochettino’s squad came away empty at Turf Moor.
Eriksen got plenty of time and space on the ball, but he was unable to produce any real quality chances for his teammates. In the first half he was forced to drop much deeper than normal to receive passes from the back line. The talented Dane tried to play several balls over the top of Burnley’s physical back line, but he couldn’t find the right weight.
He appeared more influential in the second 45 minutes, but he still was unable to make any meaningful contribution. If Tottenham are going to kick on and put pressure on the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City, they’ll need him to create assists and goals. It’s not enough for Eriksen to simply look involved, he must provide concrete value to his side.
Son’s performance against Burnley was even more concerning. Pochettino clearly set him up top alongside Kane in an effort to save the Englishman from doing all the running required to press the opposition. Unfortunately, Son didn’t seem to trouble the Clarets’ back line.
His attacking work wasn’t any better. Son attempted to dribble through the Burnley defense on several occasions but his first touch was very poor for the full measure of the match. Frankly, he was fortunate that Pochettino allowed him to stay on for as long as he did. Lucas should have come on for Son much earlier in the match.
It’s reasonable for Spurs fans to hope that Son’s performance will improve once he’s permitted to go back to playing on the wing. He was essentially splitting time between striker and winger in this match. Once Kane’s ready to resume his running, Son should be freed to focus more on threatening the opposition down the flank.
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No matter what, Tottenham must get more from Eriksen and Son in the coming weeks if they want to achieve anything of significance this season. Kane’s a brilliant striker, but Spurs can’t forget what made them tick in his absence.