Harry Kane’s complete performance against Manchester City proved that no matter if he has dipped in form, he is still one of the best strikers around.
Manchester City Outdone by Harry Kane’s Complete Performance
An Expert Creator
Goal scoring has always and will always epitomise the career of Harry Kane, but the side of his game that keeps getting better and better is his passing and the vision that he has to find a teammate. It took only four minutes at the Etihad for that vision to pay dividends. No need to control the ball or to take any extra touches but just a first time, left-footed pass to Son Heung-min that sliced through the City defence and led to Spurs taking an early lead.
Kane’s relationship with Son has often been telepathic but his vision is not just saved for his fellow forward. A long pass out to Emerson Royal and and his first pass that led to his first goal are all examples of a football brain that never stops working, never stops thinking. He knows where his colleagues will be and that allows them to make runs into space and cause opponents problems.
Kane’s overall stats (whoscored.com) show him having two goals from three shots and an overall match rating of 8.68%. When it came to his passing in the match he made one key pass which was the one in the lead up to the first goal. He played four long balls and two through balls and they were all almost impossible to defend against. His overall pass success was 67.9%.
Strength and Movement
Kane has been compared to former England striker Alan Shearer in the past and it was he who heaped praise on Kane’s display on BBC Match of the Day;
“It is not often we say that about them. It was far too good; he was too clever for them. What a performance, it had absolutely everything; he was magnificent, as were Tottenham.”
Kane has such upper body strength that when Kevin de Bruyne tried to move him off the ball he was faced with an impossible task. Once Kane made a pass, he did not stop to admire his efforts but was quickly on the move and when you can take two or three players out with his passing range and vision, the space will open up and this is exactly what happened when he put Spurs back into the lead in the second half.
He played his pass and headed for the box. Son clipped the ball over the defence and Kane opened his foot to fire home. He finished what he started and it was sensational football from the striker.
Attitude the Key Difference for Kane
What marks out the best strikers is that when things don’t go their way they keep going and remain determined and that is what Kane did. He had a chance to score his second but was thwarted by Ederson and then had a goal chalked off for offside against Dejan Kulusevski in the build-up. Some strikers would bow their heads and decide it just isn’t going to be their day but not Kane.
As Tottenham’s hard work was broken by an injury-time penalty equaliser it was Kane who was shouting at his teammates to lift their heads and fight for one more chance. There were five minutes of seven added on to play and Kane knew he could still get one more opportunity. He was leading from the front vocally, with his feet and was constantly using his head.
Man City retreated into their defence thinking they had saved a point but when Kulusevski this time stayed onside he delivered a cross that still left Kane with work to do. Former Spurs player Kyle Walker thought he had Kane marked but the determination of Kane to leap above Walker and head home summed up his display.
Unplayable – Harry Kane’s Complete Performance
When Kane performs as he did against his summer suitors he is unplayable. He makes space for himself and others, his range of passing is exceptional and his finishing is still clinical. For City they saw a performance of a player that they so wanted and it was clear to see exactly why because Kane is much more than just a forward. He is simply the complete footballer.
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