Harry Kane might be accurately described as Tottenham’s Cinderella. The golden slipper fit his feet and he is relishing in the opportunity. His play for Tottenham has turned a lot of heads, including England manager, Roy Hodgson. I personally have also gained an affinity for the lad as well, for quite a few different reasons.
I enjoy players who have ascended to a high level without having the spotlight shone on them. That is not to say that I don’t enjoy the Messis and Ronaldos of the world. But they are statistical anomalies, or as I like to call them “freaks of nature.” These players are once or twice-a-generation-type guys, something that is not readily achievable for 99.9% of the population. What kids growing up can be however, is a Harry Kane.
When you look at Harry Kane, it might be puzzling as to why he is scoring so many goals. He doesn’t have the speed that other forwards possess. He doesn’t use flashy dribbling to get by defenders. He isn’t a mountain in the air. He is just plain ol’ ‘Arry. He finds open space, tracks back on defense, and finishes simply and clinically. A player like Kane is molded by years of hard work and developing themselves. You would be hard pressed to find a player that has made more of an impact on his club than Kane.
In the past decade or so, Tottenham has been a good team, but never great. They are consistent in the top 10 of the Premier League, but always seem to top out at 4th. Even with Gareth Bale, the best finish the club achieved was 4th. They haven’t really had a bona fide superstar besides Bale, but are consistently pushing the traditional giants for European competition. That may change with Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen leading the Spurs to new heights.
Kane has been the surprise revelation while Eriksen has been the late game hero. With Kane’s two magnificent goals in a 2-1 win over Arsenal, Tottenham sit in 5th place in the Premier League. 3rd through 6th place are each separated by a single point, with Liverpool lurking a mere 3 points behind in 7th. Barring a collapse from Chelsea, it seems like everyone else is just fighting for better European competition.
To imagine that Harry Kane was on the bench to begin the season is mind-boggling to me. He has become one of the first names on the team sheet, even getting a visit from Roy Hodgson during the Arsenal match. Kane has made multiple appearances for various youth levels for England, but has yet to get a senior team call up. His play this season has led some, including English legend David Beckham, to call for Kane into the senior squad. Not bad for a player who is still only 21. One knock on his game is his goalkeeping ability. When Hugo Lloris was sent off in a Europa League match in October, Kane was called upon to don the shirt for the final three minutes of the game. Kane had already scored a hat trick for Spurs, but allowed the goal from Asteras Tripoli to make the final score 5-1. The fact that he volunteered to step in between the pipes is a reflection of his character, doing whatever is needed to help the team.
Kane has 23 goals in 34 appearances across all competitions this season, starting in 24 of those matches. His 10 appearances for the U-21 England squad have yielded 8 goals. It really seems like his record is beginning to speak for itself. Opposing teams are having trouble adjusting to his style. He doesn’t have any certain “thing” that defenses can key in on. Once you think you have him figured out, he brings another trick out of the bag to sting you for another goal.
England desperately need a young striker to take the reins and make the position theirs. Wayne Rooney is getting older, and won’t be around forever to carry the team. Plenty of other youngsters have been handed chances to impress, only to let the moments get the better of them. Raheem Sterling, Danny Welbeck, and Daniel Sturridge are just a few of the names that fall into such a category.
With Euro 2016 qualifiers coming up, the pressure is on Roy Hodgson to give Kane his first call up. The attendance of Hodgson has to be a good sign for his chances. The Three Lions have a home match against Lithuania on March 27th in Euro qualifying that might see Kane get his debut.
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