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.

PREMIER LEAGUE WRAP-UP AFTER WEEKEND 2

The English and Welsh Premier League is past its second weekend as title co-favourites Manchester City and Chelsea dominate whilst the supposedly revitalised Manchester United continue to falter.

 

D. Ray Morton, 26th August 2014.

Stevan Jovetic put in arguably his finest Premier league performance thus far last night as he scored twice to help Manchester City beat Liverpool 3-1 at the Etihad

The Good

Last night, Manchester City swept aside a defensively frail Liverpool side thanks to a fine brace from in-form Stevan Jovetic and another from substitute Sergio Agüero in an exciting clash at the Etihad. Liverpool scored one of their own through another sub, Rickie Lambert, but it was not enough to claw back against the defending champions. Jovetic's performance was particularly impressive demonstrating the pace and technique he had shown at his former club Fiorentina but was not seen much last campaign as he struggled with injuries. Edin Džeko is another luxurious forward option and with Álvaro Negredo yet to come back, one imagines goals should not be a problem for Manuel Pellegrini's team as the campaign wears on.

Tottenham are sitting pretty on top of the Premier League table thanks to a storming win against Queens Park Rangers at White Hart Lane. Mauricio Pochettino's men strolled to a 4-0 victory against former Spurs boss Harry Redknapp's newly-promoted relegation candidates. The manner of the victory was worth taking note of. Spurs pressed extremely well and managed to keep possession beautifully throughout. This was the brand of football the Tottenham faithful wished for last season but it never materialised under André Villas-Boas or the man who followed him, Tim Sherwood. Érik Lamela impressed again and the club record signing is starting to show signs that he will not continue to be the flop that he was last season. New recruit, Eric Dier looks like an early candidate for signing of the season. Pochettino is developing a collective confidence at Spurs and as long as their players continue to grasp his philosophy, they will push hard for a Champions League spot. 

Tottenham celebrate during their 4-0 thrashing of Queens Park Rangers

Speaking of Champions League spots, we move onto...

The Bad

 

Another disappointing weekend for Manchester United. This was the side that was supposed to pull up its pants this season, attack the top four spots and maybe even make a run for the title. Instead, two weeks in, they look like a shambles. Louis van Gaal's three at the back continues to struggle and their 1-1 away draw to Sunderland was lucky if anything as the Black Cats played the better football. Marcos Rojo and Ángel Di Maria (a reported €80m record signing) are set to come in soon and the other major clubs will get stuck into their European campaigns but big questions are being asked already. Is three at the back the way forward in a league that predominantly features lone striker formations? Will doubts creep in? Will the new players bed in or become expensive failures? Right now it is looking grim. Even if they continue to throw their money around and go after further targets before 1st September, such a rapidly slapped together XI could struggle some more. Luke Shaw, Ander Herrera, Rojo and Di Maria are all fine players but are not the types to run things on their own.

Di Maria in at Manchester United but that is no guarantee of immediate success

We have already mentioned Liverpool but did not mention the signing of Mario Balotelli. At €20m, it represents a potential bargain but the entire deal is somewhat puzzling. AC Milan were very quick to show him the door despite not having that many great strikers at San Siro already. Filippo Inzaghi became disillusioned with his presence and felt he was a poisonous presence in the dressing room. Brendan Rodgers has dealt with some bad boys in the past but "Super Mario" brings that to a whole new level. Even if he behaves himself off the pitch, he can be a right nuisance on the pitch when things do not go his way. Last season at Milan, he tended to sulk and move around very little if he felt the team was not playing well. Such arrogance, laziness, whatever you will call it, could simply not be accepted under the glaring cameras and the loud-mouthed reactions of the Premier League machine. Balotelli brings his best in patches. That is what he has done throughout his whole career. He may score a free-kick or two but do not expect a Luis Suárez replacement.

Adam Lallana, Mario Balotelli and Kenny Dalglish all happy...before Liverpool proceeded to get thumped by Manchester City

Results

Saturday

Aston Villa 0-0 Newcastle

Chelsea 2-0 Leicester (D. Costa, E. Hazard)

Crystal Palace 1-3 West Ham (Chamakh; Zaraté, Downing, C. Cole)

Southampton 0-0 West Brom

Swansea 1-0 Burnley (N. Dyer)

Everton 2-2 Arsenal (Coleman, Naismith; Ramsey, Giroud)

Sunday

Hull City 1-1 Stoke City (Jelavic; Shawcross)

Tottenham 4-0 QPR (Chadli 2, Dier, Adebayor)

Sunderland 1-1 Manchester United (Rodwell; Mata)

Monday

Manchester City 3-1 Liverpool (Jovetic 2, Agüero; Lambert)

POCHETTINO'S START AT TOTTENHAM GOES UNDER THE RADAR

Mauricio Pochettino's reign as Tottenham's new manager has been very low key so far. With the club needing to sell in order to buy new talent, much work is needed in the month ahead for them to be a top four-challenging team.

 

D. Ray Morton, 20th July 2014.

Mauricio Pochettino has kept a low profile as Tottenham manager but will need to make strides in the transfer market if they are to challenge for those lucrative Champions League places

When Tim Sherwood's tenure as Tottenham boss ran down towards the end of last season, three candidates emerged to be the club's next permanent manager: Frank de Boer, Louis van Gaal and Mauricio Pochettino. All three were interested in the job at different stages but Daniel Levy and the Tottenham board opted for the latter based on his stellar work at Southampton. De Boer remains at Ajax Amsterdam and Louis van Gaal was handed the Manchester United reins boosted by having a fine World Cup guiding the Dutch national team to bronze medals. Some United fans are even talking about challenging for the Premier League title. One wonders whether such optimism would be at White Hart Lane had van Gaal gone there, keep in mind that Spurs did finish five points ahead of the Red Devils last season.

It is fair to say that Pochettino has operated under the radar so far. His goal is to finish in the top four but he must rebuild a flawed squad and also has a lengthy Europa League campaign ahead of him, something which Manchester United do not need to worry themselves with. To assemble this squad, he needs to sell to buy. Levy will not allow the free spending which backfired for the club last summer after the sale of Gareth Bale to Real Madrid. Ben Davies, Swansea's capable left-back, will likely be their first signing of the summer for a fee of around €12.75m funded by the sale of Jake Livermore to Hull City for €10m.

Ben Davies (foreground) could be Tottenham's first signing of the summer

The real conundrum is, who to sell and who to keep. Jan Vertonghen, Hugo Lloris and Érik Lamela are their three most in-demand players but the club really need to keep the first two as they are key members of the first-team squad. Lamela is young, Argentine like Pochettino and has potential but had an awful first season at White Hart Lane troubled by injuries and homesickness. The option is there to offload him or try and rekindle the abilities he demonstrated in Italy with Roma. Then there is a list of squad members who can easily be disposed with should Spurs be able to attract buyers: Paulinho, Roberto Soldado, Emmanuel Adebayor, Lewis Holtby, Kyle Naughton, Andros Townsend, Michael Dawson, Gylfi Sigurðsson and Sandro can all leave if suitable offers come in. Getting rid of a good few of those should raise a decent enough kitty to reinvest in the squad.

Some movement in the market is now crucial as desperation can rear its ugly head if business is left too late. No doubt technical director, Franco Baldini, is busy behind the scenes trying to close deals and the sooner they get done, the better. With North London rivals Arsenal having already signed one of the stars of the World Cup in Alexis Sánchez, Tottenham will have make a few moves in order to build a bit of much-needed belief around the club.

PRE-WORLD CUP VACUUM IS TEDIOUS

D. Ray Morton, 1st June 2014.

The World Cup will be here very soon, finally, amidst fears of unbuilt stadiums

We have entered June and the World Cup will hit our TV screens in eleven days. This period between the end of the domestic football season and the world's biggest international sports event has been downright tedious, however.

Rumour mills have been overloaded and changes are afoot. Possibly the most ridiculous story that has broken out over the past couple of weeks is Yaya Touré's demand for a move away from Manchester City because the club did not acknowledge his birthday. That is one for the ages. An eight year-old could come up with a better excuse and if Touré and his agent do successfully negotiate a mega-bucks move away from the Etihad, City fans will feel both frustration at having lost a great player and the frustration of having egg on their face. Questions will be raised as to why a player like Touré, a freshly-crowned Premier League winner, would flee Manchester despite the riches on offer there. He has flirted with the idea of a return to Barcelona though the Catalan club are unlikely to approach him. Paris St. Germain are the favourites for his signature.

Eden Hazard is not exactly feeling the love at Chelsea right now

Speaking of PSG's attempts to further strengthen their growing empire, Eden Hazard could also be in their cross-hairs. Chelsea's Belgian winger is unsettled at Stamford Bridge due to manager José Mourinho's public announcement that Hazard does not play for the team. A puzzling statement about an extraordinary attacking talent, a future Balon d'Or winner in the making. Could there be some massive clean-up going on behind the scenes at Chelsea? PSG are throwing caution to the wind with their spending but Chelsea are tightening that belt and raking in the cash as evidenced by their swift decision to offload David Luiz to the Parisian giants last month. Are Chelsea forced to sell Hazard for, say, €70m? They are giving the impression that it would a tactical decision which could appease their supporters rather than showing it would be for financial stability. The sale of Hazard would cause waves, however. Bigger waves than a Yaya Touré move considering his age and vast potential. It would also demonstrate that PSG really are on the up and up and Chelsea are stagnating somewhat.

Poor Montolivo. Here is a token "sickening leg-break" snap

Another feature of this pre-carnival vacuum are the World Cup warm up matches. Such drudgery, understandable I guess, but dire to watch all the same. The level of excitement between a late season international friendly and an actual World Cup match is incomparable. These friendlies come at a cost too. Italy have lost Riccardo Montolivo to a horrendous leg break in last night's exhibition against Ireland at Craven Cottage. A huge blow for the azzurri as the AC Milan midfielder was expected to play a key role in their upcoming games against England, Uruguay and Costa Rica.

The only real points of interest so far have been some major managerial appointments. Manchester United have appointed Louis van Gaal, though it is becoming clear that he was not their first choice as the Red Devils sniffed out Borussia Dortmund's Jürgen Klopp and Real Madrid's Carlo Ancelotti before their futures had been determined. Van Gaal will be flung into an arena of high expectations, that is after he is done with the Netherlands' World Cup campaign which features a tough group with defending champions Spain, Chile and Australia.

Much-loved by the Barcelona faithful, how will he do now as a manager in the Camp Nou hot-seat?

Another fascinating appointment is Barcelona's decision to hire ex-player and ex-Barcelona B coach, Luis Enrique. Leaving his role at Celta Vigo, Enrique will bring a more familiar brand of attacking possession football to Camp Nou but it should be interesting to see how his "fitness freak" conditioning systems will rub off on what is a somewhat rattled squad that could not pick up any significant silverware last season. It will also be a key season for Lionel Messi, some having accused him of taking his foot off the gas to save himself for Argentina's World Cup. Can he recapture his status as the world's finest player or will Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo seize the glory again? Winning a World Cup in-between might be just the tonic Messi needs.

With Tottenham Hotspur poaching manager Mauricio Pochettino from Southampton, one of the funnier quotes this week came from Real Madrid's Angel di Maria: "It hurts when you're always doing your best for your club and then you hear that you might be going to Tottenham." Inadvertently humiliating to Spurs, Pochettino will need to give his squad the kick up the backside to make them a serious club again. He has been challenged with providing that holy grail of a top four finish, a familiar tune from Daniel Levy, and the pressure will be on if results do not match expected standards.

So between preposterous big money transfers, broken legs in friendlies and more managerial merry-go-round, we just want to get on with the World Cup at long last. Will the stadiums be up to scratch? Will Brazil triumph as expected? Bring it on for goodness sake.

NEXT SEASON'S PREMIER LEAGUE MANAGERIAL MERRY-GO-ROUND

D. Ray Morton, 29th April 2014.

After initially flirting with Tottenham, Louis van Gaal is likely to be the next Man Utd manager

 

With the season winding down, speculation is mounting amongst several Premier League clubs as to who will take charge next season. Many teams want drastic change and only a handful of clubs have their managers pinned down, their respective boards pleased with their level of performance: Jose Mourinho at Chelsea, Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool, Manuel Pellegrini at Manchester City and Roberto Martinez at Everton. Mark Hughes at Stoke, Steve Bruce at Hull City and Tony Pulis at Crystal Palace are also secure. At every other club, however, there could very easily be change.

Mauricio Pochettino could be just the man for Tottenham next season

Looking higher up the table, Tottenham, Manchester United for certain and even Arsenal could be looking to recruit. Spurs are very likely to replace Tim Sherwood and with Louis van Gaal now nearly certain to move to Old Trafford, the North London club will have to look at other targets. Southampton's Mauricio Pochettino or Ajax's Frank de Boer are two names linked to the job. United are very close to signing van Gaal but it should be interesting to see where Ryan Giggs fits into all of this. Arsene Wenger will probably stay on at Arsenal although it looked as if he might have left had they failed to secure a Champions League spot.

Frank de Boer is also in high demand but might hold out for a very high profile job e.g. Barcelona

Further down the table, the likes of Aston Villa and Newcastle United must really take a long, hard look at their current managers and ask if they're good enough. Newcastle have been on a miserable run having lost their last six league games and really ought to get rid of Alan Pardew who already humiliated himself by attempting to headbutt David Meyler earlier on in the season to earn himself a lengthy touchline ban. Paul Lambert is struggling at Villa Park and it appears as if he's at a loss when it comes to finding a way to improve their form.

Paul Lambert seems completely out of ideas at Aston Villa

The relegation dog-fight will mean chopping and changing managers as three teams will have to face a step down to the Championship. It's hard to imagine Pepe Mel sticking around at West Brom, Felix Magath remaining at Fulham or even Ole Gunnar Solskjaer being at Cardiff City next season seeing as they're as practically relegated now.

The average Premier League managerial reign is about 18 months these days so this constant replacing of managers is something we have to get used to. The days of stability are gone and three year contracts are the style of the time now. Short-term projects with precise goals seem to be the way forward. The farce that was Manchester United and David Moyes' season should act as a warning for clubs not to tie untested managers down to long-term deals. May the merry-go-round continue.