KANE'S POTENTIAL KNOWS NO BOUNDS

Tottenham's Harry Kane netted a fine brace to put Arsenal to the sword in this afternoon's North London derby giving Spurs a vital 2-1 victory and a boost in the race for a top four finish. The England under-21 captain's potential seems limitless at the moment.

D. Ray Morton, 7th February 2015.

Harry Kane celebrates next to teammate Érik Lamela after netting against Arsenal this afternoon

They chant "he's one of us" in the stands, he is scoring goals by the hatful and he just helped Tottenham to victory in the North London derby but some still doubt whether Harry Kane is the real deal. In a game which Spurs controlled for the most part, Kane was the key difference with two clinical second half finishes after Arsenal took the lead early on thanks to a somewhat fortuitous opener which fell to the otherwise quiet Mesut Özil.

Kane's first was a classic poacher's goal being in the right place at the right time after David Ospina parried an effort in the 56th minute. The second was an Alan Shearer-esque header with only four minutes of normal time remaining, another late winner for Tottenham which seems to be their habit this season.

Last season, Kane was only recognised as a back-up striker with no outstanding talents other than the aerial ability his 1.90m frame offers him. In 2015, he is now starting to look like a frontman with no obvious weaknesses. He has come on in leaps and bounds and a teammate of his last season may be the inspiration for that: Gareth Bale.

Talking to Standard Sport last November, Kane said about Bale: "After training he would always be there, setting up the mannequins, taking free-kicks and working on his finishing. You saw what happened: he became an unbelievable finisher from outside the box and from free-kicks."

He went on to say: "If you practice, the rewards are there. It's very inspiring. Every footballer wants to play at the very top level and that's what I want to do here at Spurs and make my mark for the club. That's why I work at these aspects of my game."

Kane is modelling his game around Tottenham's former hero, Gareth Bale

And it is clear that the hours he is putting in in training is beneficial. At this point, he looks like an absolute banker to get in the England squad. If anything, his exclusion would draw hostility as he is undoubtedly England's most on-form striker. With Liverpool's Daniel Sturridge having an injury-ravaged season and Wayne Rooney playing in midfield for Manchester United, Kane seems like a natural spearhead for the national side where he can be supplied by England's ample selection of pacey wingers.

Of course it is not just Kane who deserves credit for masterminding Tottenham's win over their bitter rivals. Mauricio Pochettino set his side up perfectly, pressing Arsenal throughout and preventing clear cut chances. Whatever he is doing with them in training is working because Spurs are now one of the most feared teams in the Premier League for scoring late winners, a reputation previously held by Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United.

So headaches for Arsenal fans and extra misery because it was inflicted by Tottenham's resident folk hero. This might be setting a pattern for future North London derbies. Harry Kane can excel at White Hart Lane and can eclipse the likes of Teddy Sheringham, Gary Lineker and who knows, maybe even Jimmy Greaves.

REAL MADRID IMPRESSIVE IN SUPER CUP VICTORY

The defending European champions were commanding in their UEFA Super Cup triumph against Sevilla in Cardiff last night with most of their big names impressing and sending out a message to all their rivals for the coming season.

D. Ray Morton, 13th August 2014.

Another two goals but a new medal for Cristiano Ronaldo to collect as he had never won the UEFA Super Cup before last night

Real Madrid sank Sevilla by two goals to nil in UEFA's bonus competition yesterday evening thanks to a routine brace from their star Cristiano Ronaldo despite fears that the Portuguese may not have been at 100% after a World Cup summer and a niggling knee injury. The FIFA Balon d'Or winner appeared to be in fine form though not yet at his very peak. He combined well with Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema in the BBC (Bale, Benzema, Cristiano) front three retained from last season. Bale's assist for the first goal was a thing a of beauty. A deep, swirling cross that got away from Sevilla's goalkeeper Beto and fell neatly onto the boot of Ronaldo after an explosive run from deep. Ronaldo may have been on the score-sheet but Bale's speed and all-round energy was the stand-out talking point, the Welshman looking fresh having not been at the World Cup.

James Rodríguez also made his competitive début last night. The €80m Colombian had a relatively quiet game in all honesty and did not set the Cardiff City stadium alight. He found himself forced out wide on occasions and did not function in the 4-2-3-1 shape Ancelotti had gone with. Last season, Real usually went with a 4-3-3 without a number 10 involved. Karim Benzema, who was the spearhead of the attack, looked busy but Real could easily open their chequebook again this summer, sign the likes of Monaco's Falcao and become a genuinely unstoppable force.

The deeper midfield two of Luka Modric and other newcomer Toni Kroos worked very well. It will take a while for the pair to understand each other but had an easy night pinging the ball between each other against a side that did not have a midfield capable of competing. Modric and Kroos prefer to be on the ball and Ancelotti has options within his squad when he needs his team to play with a bit more defensive-minded grit. Although they will enter the Champions League as favourites, this is still not possession-hogging machine like Guardiola's Barcelona which defended by not having to defend but by suffocating the opposition in not letting them have the ball.

Toni Kroos with an impressive début and could be the player to take this Madrid midfield to an even higher level


Iker Casillas and the back four of Daniel Carvajal, Sergio Ramos, Pepe and Fábio Coentrão remain as the potential weakness but apart from some bouts of indiscipline, it is hardly a back-line to be sniffed at. The unused squad is also brimming with talent although some of the players' futures are up in the air at the moment. The club are still looking to sell Ángel di María in order to recoup some funds to cover their other signings. Only at Real could such a great player, arguably their man of the match in the Champions League final, be offloaded just to balance the books. Keylor Navas, one of the new signings and Costa Rican World Cup hero, may eventually take Casillas' place between the sticks and then there is Raphaël Varane who can develop to be a better player than Ramos or Pepe. Xabi Alonso and Isco will stick around though they are not expected to start many games and then there is Sami Khedira whose future has not been decided. His contract is out at the end of the season but he may yet stick around and leave on a Bosman. José Mourinho at Chelsea is an admirer and is rumoured to have advised the German international against a move to cross-city rivals Arsenal.

Many things to ponder but what a luxury of resources Los Blancos have going into 2014/15. La Liga rivals Barcelona and Atlético Madrid will know that they will have to be at their very best in order to make any attempt at a title challenge against such a multimillion Euro powerhouse. Barça are hardly being frugal themselves but must still look on with awe at Real's potential best XI. Teams with hopes of Champions League glory must also stare upwards at the Bernabéu club, their wealth of riches and individual talents unmatched anywhere in world football right now.

WON'T BE IN BRAZIL XI

WON'T BE IN BRAZIL XI

D. Ray Morton, 5th March 2014.

As we sit through another bunch of international friendlies this week, let's spare a thought for some of the great players that won't feature in the World Cup next summer which is now less than 100 days away. We've put together a starting XI and a subs bench of world class talent that, sadly, will not grace Brazil's pitches in June and July. Some players are left out because their nation simply weren't good enough to qualify and others won't be making it due to injuries, disputes or there being too much competition for a squad place.

Goalkeeper

Diego Lopez

Being Spanish and being Real Madrid's first choice goalkeeper would usually make you a dead cert for a place in La Furia Roja's World Cup squad but this might not be the case for poor Diego Lopez. Having managed to steal away Iker Casillas' starting spot at club level since joining from Sevilla in January last year, Lopez has been in great form but continues to be overlooked at international level. A one cap wonder, Lopez can't find his way into the Spanish squad with the aforementioned Casillas, Victor Valdes and Pepe Reina in his way. At 32, it's unlikely that Lopez will ever play in a World Cup match now.

Right-back

Branislav Ivanovic

Chelsea's powerful Serbian right-back won't be strutting his stuff in Brazil thanks to his nation's failure to qualify. Drawn in UEFA Qualification Group A, Serbia finished in third spot behind arch rivals Croatia and group winners Belgium. The Serbian team is a young one with many starting players under the age of 25. At 30, Ivanovic is one their senior players but will have to focus on the upcoming Euro 2016 qualifiers if he's ever to make a big impact at a major international tournament.

Centre backs

John Terry

Another from Chelsea, John Terry won't be at World Cup 2014 due to cutting his ties from the England national team after accumulating 78 caps since his debut in 2003. This is a great shame for Roy Hodgson's side because Terry has arguably been the best English centre-half in the Premier League this season. In his absence, England will have to settle for a likely partnership between Terry's Chelsea teammate Gary Cahill and Everton's Phil Jagielka.

Daniel Agger

Daniel Agger's Denmark found themselves in the extremely unfortunate role of being the worst runners up in all nine of the UEFA World Cup qualification groups when they finished behind Italy in Group B. That prevented the Danes from getting through the back door offered by the playoffs. Agger has had a fine season for Liverpool when not injured, the left-footed ball playing defender fitting in very well with Brendan Rodgers' system. At 29, Agger could yet play in the next World Cup which by then he'll be 33.

Left-back

David Alaba

Though he terrorised the Republic of Ireland during Austria's attempted qualification campaign, David Alaba won't be playing in the World Cup as Germany topped the group with Sweden coming in second. Alaba is an exceptional young full-back who can play in a variety of roles including as an attacking midfield playmaker. Though he plies his trade for Austria at international level, one imagines Alaba would walk into the German national team, his set of skills being so wide.

Right winger

Theo Walcott

One wonders whether Theo Walcott understood the extent of his injury when he made his smug little "2-0" jester after being carted off against Tottenham earlier this season. The grim reality of having a serious cruciate ligament injury was confirmed the next day and Arsenal's winger ended up with a bit of egg on his face. Right midfield could now be a problem position for England but perhaps they might be better off with someone who can operate defensively in Roy Hodgson's old-fashioned two banks of four. Walcott will be missed by England however because, ignoring his obvious tactical flaws, his pace is always an asset.

Central midfielders

Marek Hamsik

Silly hairstyle and silly tattoos aside, Marek Hamsik is an excellent midfield general and misses out on the World Cup due to his Slovakian nationality, one of Europe's smaller nations unlikely to feature at the big tournaments. Hamsik plays for Napoli to whom he has been very loyal despite the interest of some of Europe's biggest clubs. With very few weaknesses in his game and great positional adaptability, it's a shame we won't see him next summer.

Aaron Ramsey

Aaron Ramsey might never play in a World Cup simply because he's Welsh. Ryan Giggs, one of the most decorated players in the club game, suffered the same fate. Ramsey was sensational for Arsenal at the beginning of this campaign building up their early season title surge which is now beginning to fade away as the 23 year-old sits out an injury on the sidelines. Ramsey's development has taken some of the sheen off young Jack Wilshere who was seen as Arsenal and England's next big thing.

Left winger

Gareth Bale

Another Welshman and the world's most expensive player, Gareth Bale will not see World Cup action. His form has been steadily sensational this season for Real Madrid after shaking off some initial injury problems. Between La Liga and Champions League appearances, he has scored 14 goals and racked up 11 assists in 19 starts. Bale's sheer athleticism will be missed as the 9th best player in the world (Ballon d'Or 2013), will have to make do with watching the World Cup action on the telly.

Strikers

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's wonderful talents and his omission from the World Cup spectacle has already been discussed in detail here so naturally he's going to be featured in this XI. The 32 year-old has astonishingly scored 32 goals in 32 appearances between league and European matches this season for Paris St. Germain and the imposing target man might be the most entertaining footballer to watch in the global game right now. The giant Swede was incredibly unfortunate to miss out on the World Cup. His one man heroics were not enough to match the goals scored by Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo who ultimately determined the Swedes' fate. If those later World Cup group matches drag on and get boring, just flick on a highlight reel of Zlatan's goals this season to cheer you up.

Carlos Tevez

Carlos Tevez, at 30, has been shunned by Argentine national coach Alejandro Sabella and will not play at the World Cup. This is a shame because since his move to Juventus, Tevez has rediscovered some of his best form chipping in with 15 goals and 7 assists from 30 starts in European and league football this term. Argentina can probably just about to afford leaving him out thanks to their riches in attack boasting forwards like Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain. However, if the South American side flatter to deceive in Brazil, questions will be asked as to why the relationship with Tevez broke down considering how much of an impact such a player can make.

Subs bench

Petr Cech

Maybe not rated as highly as he once was before his significant brain injury in 2006, Petr Cech is still a top class goalkeeper and won't be at the World Cup due to the Czech Republic's decline as an international force.

Mehdi Benatia

Roma's Moroccan centre half Mehdi Benatia has put in some great displays in Serie A this season to help his club's unlikely title push against the all-conquering Juventus. Unfortunately for him however, Morocco didn't make it to the World Cup as their status as one of north Africa's traditional powerhouses has slipped in recent years.

Arda Turan

Arda Turan, Atletico Madrid's bearded battler, has been superb this season but Turkey failed to cut the mustard and won't be going to Brazil. Versatile, technically sound and courageous, he will be missed at next summer's showcase event.

Francesco Totti

What can be said about Totti? Even at the age of 37, he is still arguably one of the best trequartistas in world football. Having retired from the international game years ago, his form for Roma this season has been so good that there has been a mild media campaign to try and get him into Cesare Prandelli's Italian World Cup squad.

Radamel Falcao

We didn't put Falcao in the starting XI because he's still holding on to a chance of making the Colombian World Cup team if he can shake off the cruciate ligament damage he did to himself only in January. It will require a miraculous recovery but his inclusion in their line-up can make them the difference between being dark horses and default South American also-rans.