A six-yard tap-in glossed over another worryingly subdued performance from Harry Kane, leaving his Fantasy owners and would-be investors with a captaincy quandary ahead of Double Gameweek 37.
Kane was again a shadow of his former self as Tottenham Hotspur ran out 2-0 winners over Watford – a scoreline that flattered the home side.
While the likes of Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen and Son Heung-min darted around the striker, Kane showed little intent to come short and receive the ball, or indeed make runs into the channel or beyond the defence.
His performance mirrored what we’ve seen over the last four Gameweeks and the last five matches in all competitions.
Post-match, the striker gave this summary of his current form…
“I feel good, obviously I’d have liked to have played better over the last few games or so but the whole team would have liked to have done that. I feel good. I feel sharp. Hopefully, I can finish strong like I did last year. “
But interestingly, when asked if Kane was suffering a “hangover” from his recent injury, his manager Mauricio Pochettino offered a different perspective…
“Yes of course [there is a hangover], it is a mix about different things. I think it wasn’t a great period for him the last few weeks. He is human and, like everyone, was a little bit affected but with the help of everyone is doing well.”
Kane may insist that he’s fully fit, but just his demeanour and willingness to run or receive the ball suggests otherwise.
While the eye test results are worrying, the underlying numbers only confirm a recent decline.
Kane had 34 touches in the match, fewer than any Spurs player named in the initial XI.
If we look at his last four starts, from Gameweeks 33 to 36, he’s averaging a shot every 32.3 minutes, compared with 15.1 minutes prior to his injury at Bournemouth in Gameweek 30.
Sky Sports also demonstrated that his lowest recorded speeds of the Premier League season have arrived in his last two matches against Brighton and Watford.
So we have reason to doubt his ability to deliver big as a captain and Triple Captain option ahead of fixtures with West Brom (away) and Newcastle (home).
The matches come just three days apart, and that in itself could be a test for the weary-looking Kane.
He has now produced one double-figure return from 15 Gameweek appearances, making 13 starts in that period. He has blanked in six of those starts.
But Monday’s fixture demonstrated that Kane will still get opportunities and can still sniff out goals – indeed, allied with a strike away to Brighton, he has now scored in back-to-back matches for the first time since Gameweek 28.
He could also have ended with double-figures on Monday having missed a first-half opportunity, before seeing his accurate through-ball skied by substitute Moussa Sissoko when it should have been converted for an assist.
However, Kane’s output in Gameweek 37 may currently rely on Spurs feeding the striker big chances, rather than the striker’s previously undoubted ability to produce a goal from his own toil and enterprise.
The drive to consider Man City pair Raheem Sterling and, in particular, Gabriel Jesus as Gameweek 37 captains and Triple Captains, has not been dented by Kane’s goal and performance against the Hornets.
Alli the midfield standout
In truth, Kane suffered in what was an erratic Spurs performance with their attacking midfield three also failing to convince on the night.
But Alli did at least contribute a well-taken goal from an Eriksen pass; that took the England midfielder to four goals and three assists from his last seven starts.
It also means that Eriksen has returned a goal or an assist in six of his last eight Gameweeks.
The pair otherwise struggled for influence, while Son made it five Gameweeks without a goal and was hooked 73 minutes after failing to fire a single effort on goal. The South Korean now looks vulnerable for at least one of Spurs’ Gameweek 37 fixtures.
Elsewhere in midfield, Mousa Dembele limped off with a twisted ankle on 63 minutes. While the old “Dembele Theory” effect on Kane’s output has long been forgotten, his absence would still be felt over the final three matches if ruled out.
Trippier the supply line
While Spurs’ attacking players failed to impress, Kieran Trippier was a thorn in Watford’s side all evening.
Granted ample space and freedom down Spurs right flank, the full-back was a ready supply of crosses. He totalled eleven in all, creating three chances – more than any other player in both cases.
The Spurs goals came from Trippier’s centres, with Watford’s Orestis Karnezis spilling his first-half cross for Eriksen to set up Alli’s goal.
Then Trippier presented Kane with an easy opportunity to convert in the second half. The right-back is now up to seven assists for the season, joint-top with team-mate Ben Davies and Aaron Cresswell among defenders.
It meant that the right-back ended the night on 41 BPS to claim the maximum bonus points.
Hugo Lloris was forced to make five saves, a reflection of Watford’s opportunities to punish a sloppy Spurs performance.
The Frenchman earned two bonus points for his efforts, with the recalled Davinson Sanchez collecting the remaining point.
Hornets still not safe
It’s seven matches on the road without a goal now for Watford, who were somewhat unfortunate not to find a way past Lloris.
Javi Gracia’s men equalled Spurs for attempts (13), while a tally of ten efforts inside the box was ranked third in the Gameweek.
Given that they have a final day trip to Old Trafford, the Hornets’ bid to beat the drop could now fall on this weekend’s huge home clash with Newcastle.
Although they are six points clear of third-bottom Southampton, the Saints have a match in hand and could yet overtake Watford, who have claimed just two points in their last seven league matches.
Early-season favourite Richarlison hinted at a return to former glories, firing four efforts and three inside the box last night – joint-top for both categories at Wembley.
